


The Awakening

by ThePragmaticRebel



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Eleven | Jane Hopper & Maxine "Max" Mayfield Friendship, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Minor Jonathan Byers/Nancy Wheeler, Minor Maxine "Max" Mayfield/Lucas Sinclair, Siblings Will Byers & Eleven | Jane Hopper, Slow Burn, Will Byers Has Powers, Will Byers and Eleven | Jane Hopper Are Best Friends, Will and El are very close, mad wheeler friendship, steve harrington/male oc, summer of 88
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-24
Updated: 2019-04-21
Packaged: 2019-07-01 19:37:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 96,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15780711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThePragmaticRebel/pseuds/ThePragmaticRebel
Summary: There is much more to Will Byers than meets the eye. It's a time of self discovery and finding answers for the many questions he has about all the things that happened to him and the amazing changes that are happening to him in the present.





	1. Visions and Breakfast

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time ever posting any sort of fic or story so I'm super nervous. The first chapter is a little dark, but it will get better quick, I promise. I would love to hear what you think in the comments section. Please ask or say anthing you want. Much Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will has a bad night, but his family and a special friend will always be there to help

 

Friday July 1st, 1988 Hawkins, Indiana

 

It was happening again.

Seventeen-year-old William Byers, lying in his own bed, was suffering again at the hands of the creatures of the upside down. He had felt it coming on for days. He has been to countless doctors who prescribed dozens of different drugs to try and help. All they did was make him sleep and changed him into a walking zombie. He had even tried therapy, countless visits to the psychiatrist and other professionals, nothing worked. They have tried most methods known to man to get the flashbacks under control. Every so often the memories of the trauma he went through surfaced and forced him to relive the hell. The autumns of 1983 and 1984 scarred him. The physical scars healed and faded away, but the mental scars seemed like they would be with him forever.

The visions always start with the creature they named Demogorgon. It was given access to this world when the girl known as Eleven made physical contact with it in the void between the two different realities. It’s anger, combined with Eleven’s burst of primal fear ripped a hole between the two worlds. Its world was a place of dark and cold filled with uncaring, emotionally void creatures whose only existence was to eat and grow, singularly focused, all a part of one mind. Through the new gate the predator had access to countless warm-blooded creatures with soft flesh. It hunted without stopping and devoured all it caught.

Will’s nightmare began the night it chose him as prey, stalking him, ripping him from the only place he knew and bringing him to a dark and evil place that was the opposite of everything Will had ever known. Little did it know that the boy had a gift for hiding. He learned it naturally by evading predators in his world, predators like his father and bullies at his school. Will watched from a distance, as the creature brought other people and animals to this backwards world. Killing and eating what it wished, leaving the scraps and leftovers behind for the other, lesser creatures that were its kin.

Days later, time ran out for Will. He had been there for what seemed like months, though it was a far shorter time. He managed to survive by drinking the dirty dark liquid that resembled water. Everything there smelled of sulfur and rot. The fluid made his stomach cramp and turn, but he had to drink it to survive. The night the creature found him, he was more frightened than he imagined he ever could be. The apex predator tracked down his prey, Will heard it stalking outside of the ugly, cold version of Castle Byers. It ripped the roof off and snatched him away. He was paralyzed with fear as the thing looked to the sky and roared, opening its mouth, five grotesque flaps with thousands of needle-sharp teeth. He blacked out, knowing that his end was here, he had no more chance against the thing than a field mouse fighting a lion.

He was surprised to be alive but was unable to move, bound by slimy, thick black vines wrapping around every part of his body. One even snaking its way down his windpipe and throat. His stomach was full. His hunger and thirst were gone, and he could even breathe. He gagged and tried to spit the thing out. Then horrified as he realized it was keeping him alive like some sort of revolting feeding tube. It was disgusting to imagine what kind of filth the thing was pumping into his body. He tried to fight it, but lost consciousness, everything fading to black, his last thought wishing this would end one way or another.

His memories are shadowy after that. He seems to remember the thing being pulled out of his body. Then a strong but soft hammer slamming into his chest over and over, feeling a sharp snap as one of his rib bones broke, it hurt so bad. Then the sound of his mother’s voice and breathing air that tasted sweet as cotton candy. He opened his eyes and thought he saw two bright yellow creatures carrying him somewhere else. He was so confused, the images rolling through his mind like an out of order slide show.

His first real memory is waking up and seeing his mom and Jonathan, his brother, sitting right beside him. He was warm and comfortable for the first time in ages. He remembered his friends surrounding him, so bright and full of energy. He fed off that energy and then knew he was home.

Unfortunately for Will, it wasn’t over. The true nightmare waited ahead. This chapter of the vision always began with the why. Why didn’t the Demogorgon kill him? Why did the thing “hook” him up to the upside down with that nasty umbilical cord? Why was he spared? Not that he wasn’t glad to be alive, but the memories always plagued him. The thought of what terrible thing might have happened to him, had his Mom and Sheriff Jim Hopper not rescued him at that exact moment.

The biggest why came to be around Halloween of 1984.

Why did the shadow monster choose him? It could have come through the gate and grabbed any of the Hawkins Lab scientists or military men in the tunnels. It wanted him and him alone. It pursued him for days and caught him on the field next to his school. Will, following terrible but honest advice from his mother’s boyfriend, Bob Newby, turned and attempted to fight the monster off himself. He failed. The thing didn’t assault him or try to eat him like the Demogorgon would have. It was completely mental. It infiltrated his mind through all his senses. Tendrils of black evil entered him through his eyes, nose, ears and mouth. He had snapped awake after the thing was done, seemingly just another part of his nightmare.

At first, he didn’t think much had happened to him, just another one of his flashbacks. The monster was creeping its way into the corners of Will’s mind. He could feel it lurking in the far reaches of his thoughts. He seemed to still have control of his body and mind. He can still remember drawing page after page of a puzzle that became the tunnels running under Hawkins. He remembers his mom trying to comfort and take care of him. Warm memories of Mike Wheeler being there too, staying right by his side, never leaving him for several days. He remembered talking to him about what was going on in his head and allowing his best friend to convince him everything was going to be ok. He remembers seeing the vision of Jim Hopper, choking under a pile of the constrictor like living vines. He remembers going to look for Jim and finding him with the help of the knowledge the thing seemed to have given him. He allowed himself to believe that maybe it wasn’t going to be that bad. Maybe he could use the thing inside him to help people.

Then the soldiers from the lab appeared and started burning the tunnels in order to save his Mom, Jim and Bob. An inferno of pain and anguish lit up every nerve in his body. This opened the door for the ageless creature to begin taking complete control. The same men that had started the whole mess in the first place, threw lighter fluid on a smoldering pile of ashes. The blistering pain caused Will’s body and mind to seize, giving the thing full access to all that made him Will. It violated him on every level. Snaking its way into parts of his mind that no one, no…thing, had any right to see. Over the span of a few hours all thoughts were exposed and flayed open for the creature to view and abuse. It began tormenting him with horrible thoughts and visions. After the seizure it seemed to keep him just aware enough to torture him at increasing levels. It was the opposite of what Will was. It was hate and filth. It despised the warm living creatures of Will’s universe. It wanted to snuff out and devour all that warmth and life. It broadcast false images of his family and friends dying at the vicious teeth and choking constriction of the creatures it controlled. No one was spared. His mom and Jonathan died in his mind’s eye a thousand different ways. It was unbearable, so cold and abusive. It was closer to hell than Will ever wanted to be again.

All this torture was in his mind. It was in complete control of Will’s body. It would even answer and talk as if it was Will. The ultimate impostor, it drove him to the brink of madness to be so out of control of his own body

Then it found Will’s trigger. He was on a bed surrounded by machines and people dressed in white and blue. One of the men in white spoke, asking him several inane questions, the monster spoke for him and answered them all. Then the doctor turned and pointed to a dark-haired boy in a blue jacket,

“How about uh, how about this guy here”

Will began screaming at the shadow monster “No, No, NO, NOOOO!”, and doing everything in his power to keep the monster from prying that information out of his mind. The monster knew the other boy had been there since it took over. It hadn’t been remotely interested in him until now. Its shadowy tendrils dove deep, ripping the name from Will’s memory. Mike…Mike…MIKE! It had somehow missed Will’s feelings for this human. They were so strong and personal to Will that he had managed to hide them, but no longer. The ripped-out name brought with it all the feeling and emotion that he had for Mike. The demon fed off his reaction and gloated over its new-found prize. The battle seemed to take forever inside the mind of William Byers but only a few seconds passed in the real world.

If the creature could have sneered, then it would have.

“That’s my friend…Mike” it answered calmly in Will’s voice.

It broke him. Each part of the boy now belonged to It. Will remembered thrashing and screaming for the monster to let him go for hours. He fought it to no avail. It had him, helpless. It shifted all the torturous images to center on Mike Wheeler. It forced Will to watch Mike die over and over, even death by his own hands. Will tried to surrender to the darkness, unable to take any more of the punishment, but each time he began to float away into oblivion the monster would reach out and slam his mind back into reality.

It even let Will see what evil it was doing through him, let him respond to killing some military men. Will cried and the tears came as he felt his body and the anguish for what the monster made him do. Then it would shove Will back into his corner and resume the torture. Soon, the mom and the dark-haired boy figured out that Will was no longer in control. Even though the creature played on their emotions, screaming at them to stop in Will’s voice, they made him sleep.

_The older Will, lying frozen in the present, wept as these overpowering images rolled through his mind. The tears streaking his face and staining his pillow as his mind endured that brutal torture again. The horrors of being trapped in the physical Upside-Down were mild compared to the mental rape that Will went through the following year. Fortunately, those bad memories had an end._

The monster had a weakness. It wasn’t fully a part of this world yet and it couldn’t control a body that slept. During the darkness of his drug forced sleep, the raging monster continued to send barrage after barrage of gruesome images to Will’s mind. Mike and his mother killed and tortured over and over for what they had done to It.

Will soon came to realize the mind takeover worked two directions. When the thing was concentrating on its minions and plans, he could see the monster’s desires, the goal of destruction it wanted to bring on Will’s reality. It wanted him at the gate, so it could fully enter this world. That allowed Will to see it could be stopped. Not stop it in the Upside-Down mind you but banish it from this world. The gate was the key, it had to be closed or destroyed. He just had to have help to get it done.

The next memory he has is of being forced awake. He could see what the monster could see and feel the ropes around his arms and legs. The hard material of a chair under his fingertips. The pungent odor of ammonia filling his nose and burning his eyes. He had control for a few seconds, then the monster blew up in his head, seething hatred and spewing venom. Its lack of control had caused a maelstrom of anger. It screamed and yelled at his loved ones in the room, demanding to be released.

The tempest weakened its control and then another barrage began in Will’s “eyes”. This was a flood of love and warmth. Muddled images of his mom, Jonathan and Mike. He could hear their words. He could smell sawdust and motor oil. He could feel his body again. He had to tell them he was here but didn’t have enough control to talk. Desperate, he searched for a way. While his mom and Jonathan spoke to him, his senses started to return. When Mike spoke, he could almost feel all of himself again. The emotion of seeing his best friend crying and sharing the memory of how they met opened the floodgate. He became more aware of things and could feel his physical reality. He saw Sheriff Jim Hopper there too, wearing a thick blue police jacket with a radio antenna sticking out of his pocket.

The return of feeling and emotion created a foothold for the wicked entity inside of him. It lashed out again and took over before Will could speak. Even though the thing was back in control again, Will realized he could move his hands. Here, here, here. The radio on Hopper’s side had triggered the memory that not all words had to be spoken aloud. The same words he spoke to his mom through the lights when he was trapped in the upside down. He tried to blink his eyes in the alphabet familiar to all radio operators, but that was too easy for the monster to block.

Then he remembered his hand touching the cool surface of the chair. Here, here, here. Even though the creature had regained control, it was weak. The powerful emotion that Will was feeling by seeing his loved ones, by hearing his favorite music, was countering the control of the monster. He was able to tap out a second message that he hoped someone would catch. They had to close the gate that kept this world and the upside down linked together. Only then would the monster be stopped.

 

Then the sound of a phone just like the one at his house made him think of home, think of his friends calling him, all the warm memories just popped into his mind. He thought of how he just wanted to go home, being back in control and seeing his family and friends. The familiar ringing brought all those thoughts to Will’s consciousness.

For the second time he felt the monster’s evil smile. It knew then where they had him. Will felt his blood turn cold. In his happiness, he had slipped and disclosed information to the thing. The monster signaled all its minions with that otherworldly thought language it used. It broadcast pictures of human flesh being ripped apart like a dinner bell to its children. Then once again blackness consumed him. During his second sleep the thing was weaker. The violent thoughts were not there. It was waiting for its next chance. It was old and patient, it thought there was time to recover.

It was wrong.

All he remembers of the monster leaving him is the pain, white hot and searing. The mental wails of the thing were overwhelming and unbearable. It was scared. It had never known defeat, never even been challenged. The devil tried to escape and fight back, physically assaulting his mother with Will’s body, his fingers digging into flesh. All at once the heat blew up like a nuclear bomb. His vision filled with red and the pain became so intense that it was his whole existence. The monster screamed and thrashed, images of tentacles burning, writhing in pain, exploded into view. It was hurt and injured, fighting for a foothold. Something like lightning lit up his body, just below his ribs, with searing fire and pain. This was all It could take. It jabbed at Will one last time, showing him a picture of everyone he loved burning and melting. The shadow snakes started pulling out of his memories and thoughts. It left holes and tunnels all through his mind where it had burrowed as it left him for good.

Blackness followed, a void with no sound or feeling. Absolutely blank. After the horrific torture, this was peace. No light, no sound, it was simply nothingness.

_So, this is what dying feels like._

That was the only thought that the emptiness allowed. He could only hope that he helped his family and friends in the end. Time didn’t seem to exist here. He felt lost, what he mistook for peace became despair. Sadness almost overwhelmed him. Then, just on the edge of his awareness, something. A miniscule speck of light. He regained focus bit by bit. Something seemed so warm and soft near him, an angel was whispering his name over and over.

_Is heaven real? Is this real?_

It took an eternity, but the light became more. Not bigger, mind you, just more. He began to feel again.

_Maybe I’m not dead, not yet._

The heaviness of sadness and despair lifted. He saw her with his own eyes as his vision cleared. The angel was beautiful, dark brown hair streaked with auburn, and a thin face with a beautiful smile. Then he could see even better, saw her weathered skin, laugh lines and dark circles under exhausted eyes.

“Mom” he croaked. His voice! Instant joy! He could feel his body again. Oh god, it hurt. His raw throat, rope burns on his ankles and wrists and his side where what he thought lightning hit was in worse pain than he had ever felt before. But it was his pain, his body again. Emotionally, mentally and physically he broke.

Gratitude and warmth filled him. He was surrounded by her and two others. He didn’t care, he just wrapped himself in existence. Never had anyone lived in the moment more than Will Byers did right then. No worries about future and past, there was only the present and who he was, with these people. He latched on to his angel and didn’t let go for a long time.

Back in the present, an obtrusive steady pounding filled his consciousness, a drumbeat on the soundtrack of his nightmare. He tried to push it away to enjoy one of the happier parts of his vision. A small bright spot on his dark thought train. The intrusive beating continued, getting louder and louder.

“WILL!”

The word tore into the nightmare and brought him back to reality. Orientation took a few seconds. He was home, in his room, in his bed. He wasn’t asleep, hadn’t been for many hours. He also wasn’t all the way there yet. A groan escaped his lips. Finally, it was over, at least this time.

“Sweetie, it’s time to get up. Jonathan is making breakfast and El is on the phone insisting you talk to her, right now! Her words, not mine. I’m late, gotta go, love you, have a great day!” Joyce called from the other side of the door. Walking quickly away, not hearing his response.

 “Ok, ok….be out in a minute, love you too.” The tired baritone words coming from his body shocked him for a moment. His memories had him accustomed to a younger boy with a different voice. The shock helped get him going, familiarity started to set in. This was his pattern, the dance he did every time his mind returned to the dark. No, he reminded himself, not just the dance he did, but the dance they all did with him, because of him. He already dreaded the barrage of questions, the looks of pity and sympathy as they all realized that it had happened again.

He pushed himself up and out of the bed. He had to pee, but he knew there was no way El was waiting much longer. She wasn’t known for her patience. He went straight to the phone sitting on the hallway desk.

 “Hello Eleven,” Will half smiled as he spoke in a weary voice. He knew she hated it when they teased her with the full nickname. He thought that a little humor might help them both. It didn’t.

“William don’t even! I know exactly what took so long. You need me. I should be there!” It wasn’t a question but a demand. She always knew when it happened. Her voice was tight with emotion, a little higher pitched than normal, edgier.

 “Well, you know I can’t lie to you, but not right now. Evidently Jonathan came in early this morning and he made breakfast, and I need to work. Mike hates being late, and I need to get ready.”

“Ok, we will talk later then. Call me.” she demanded and hung up. He smiled weakly at what was a refreshing quirk of Jane “El” Hopper. No pretext, no formality, straight to the point with no fluff or extra words. It was off putting to some. Her friends knew it was simply how she was. She didn’t learn how to put on a “public” face for the world. She was unpretentiously herself.

 Most nights she would have already been at the Byers’ house, ready to crawl into his bed and hold him as the horrible thoughts rolled through his mind. This time she wasn’t there because her and Jim Hopper had retreated to their rustic cabin while Jonathan was back in town. When his brother moved to New York, her and Hop made Joyce’s house their home away from home. El moved easily into the empty room and Hopper, her adopted father, would stay with Joyce. Will didn’t exactly care for the arrangement at first, but he knew his mom needed Hop. He quickly got over it and accepted them both as family.

Over the last three years Hopper became “dad” to Will in every way. He tenderly talked Will through some serious issues that the boy wouldn’t share with his mother or Jonathan, or anyone else for that matter. Hop was a steel vault when it came to secrets. He was the only person that Will talked to about the upside down and the even worse horrors of the possession, except for El, of course. Jim always listened stoically, the bright orange ember of his unfiltered cigarettes glowing in the night. He always knew when he needed to wrap his massive arms around Will in a protective bear hug. It gave Will the masculine, fatherly contact all children require, that was so absent from most kids his age, especially in this town. Aside from Lucas’ dad, all the party had a lack of proper, attentive fathers. Hop filled that role, as best he could, for all of them.

Will and El also had a remarkable bond. He had a small smile on his lips as he started thinking about her…

“Hey Buddy! About time you crawled out of that cave.” Jonathan’s voice interrupted his thoughts and pulled him toward the kitchen. It snapped him out of that thought and brought him to the present before he could think about her too much.

“God, it’s good to see you!” Will said as he was moving to embrace his brother. He wrapped one arm over his shoulder and another around his back. They were close to the same height and size now. The hug was comfortable and familiar to Will. He closed his eyes and held him tight, savoring the familiar smell and feel of his only natural sibling, who he hadn’t seen since Christmas.

 “Good to see you, too. Man, you’re getting big…and strong!” commenting on the strength of Will’s embrace. “You ready for some breakfast?”

“Definitely coffee.” Will hoped he didn’t sound too needy, but he craved the caffeine that the brew offered. As he was pouring a cup he continued, “Mike will be here to get me soon, so I need to get ready. Could you make him a plate, too? His folks are out of town and he probably only has pop tarts to eat.”

 Jonathan chuckled at Will’s need for a stimulant and Mike’s lack of culinary choices. “I can do that,” he answered, really looking at Will for the first time. His brow wrinkled in concern, “Are you ok? No offense but you look…”

“Yeah, I am, just didn’t sleep well. I’ll be fine after a shower and this.” Will interrupted, showcasing the cup of coffee by raising it to his lips. Its familiar burn and bitterness were pleasant on his palate and it seemed to start working as soon as he swallowed.

“Ok bud…go get ready,” the look of concern not leaving his face. He knew exactly what had happened during the night. He also knew that he couldn’t help his little brother by worrying and fretting over him. He would do everything he could to help, though. That’s what Jonathan did. “I’ll have you guys all set up by the time you are done.” Jonathan smiled and returned to his eggs and bacon.

Will turned for the bathroom but stopped at the hallway entrance. “I’m really glad you are home,” he said turning back toward the kitchen, “Seriously.”

Jonathan looked up with a loving smile and nodded, “Thanks man, me too.”

As he was undressing and turning the shower on, Will’s darker earlier thoughts retreated further, and the present became his full reality again. Only one thing could really purge them, but that would have to wait until later. Instead, he thought about his day ahead. and how good it was to have his family together.

The warm water flow cleared the sleepy fog away and made him feel like he could take on the day. He tried thinking positive thoughts to mask the last few hours he had spent in darkness. He dried off and pulled on his boxers, then looked at his reflection in the mirror.

 _Oh no_.

The dark circles that hung under his red streaked eyes would be a dead giveaway of the long sleepless night. He finished off the cup of coffee while reaching for a hair dryer. As he was drying his brown hair, he took special notice that his time in the summer sun had caused the dark auburn mixed in to become a brighter reddish brown. He liked the streaks of color. It was unique to him and his immediate family, they all had the same hair.

His first “girlfriend” had encouraged him to lose the bowl cut he wore since he was three, and instead let his bangs grow naturally and sweep to the side with a more natural look. Shorter on the sides, it made him look older and framed his soft attractive features in a beautiful way. Will would never admit it, but he had grown into a good-looking boy, just on the edge of manhood. He took care of himself but had no pride or arrogance about his appearance.

Several young ladies had been interested in Will over the years, but he simply didn’t have the confidence or desire to chase after any of them. Jenn was the only one he gave any of his time and friendship to. At the Christmas dance of 1984 she was the first girl he had ever danced with. He looked into his mirrored eyes and lost himself in the thought.

The Snow Ball wasn’t one of his more pleasant memories.

It was fun at first, he danced most of the night with Jennifer O’Neill, who would become one of his best friends, then girlfriend. She was always easy to talk to and spend time with. Will enjoyed her presence because she had nothing to do with the crazy events of the previous few years. He could just be “normal” with her since she was his only friend outside of the party. They talked for hours about his likes, her likes, music and life in general. She sat with the party at lunch, went with them to movies and mixed in with them like no one else ever had.

Over time, she realized that he didn’t have romantic feelings for her, probably never would. Their relationship was purely platonic as the most he would ever do is hold her hand. He didn't realize it but he also talked to her about Mike Wheeler way too much. She had caught him looking at Mike like he hung the moon and stars several times. Will didn’t try to speak about and look at his best friend like that, it came natural to him. He was a boy with a best friend who had no idea what a boy crush was and didn’t even realize he was in the middle of one.

At the homecoming dance of their freshman year, she even told him how much she wished he would look at her the way he looked at Mike. He didn’t understand what she meant. He explained that Mike was his best friend and that he didn’t see why she was upset with him. He wanted to like Jenn more and keep her as his girlfriend. He tried to satisfy her by giving her his first kiss and holding her close the whole dance, but it was just a temporary fix.

Soon after, they talked about their relationship and he admitted he didn’t like her like the way she deserved, didn’t like anyone like that but needed her as a friend. She, of course, wasn’t mad at him in any way, told him she loved him and accepted it for what it was. She faded away from the rest of the party over time, but he still spoke with her often and they even had breakfast at the diner in town once or twice a month.

 Jennifer was not the reason that the night is a bad memory. It was hurtful to Will because “she” was there. Eleven was the girl who had been haunting him for a year. He didn’t know her then, so he saw her as competition for Mike Wheeler’s attention. He knew she had saved him, but jealousy was a raw emotion.

Will had spent hours letting Mike talk to him about Eleven. He nodded and smiled and said what he was supposed to, but it killed him on the inside. When he first saw her that night, Mike was leading her to the dance floor. He watched as they danced and kissed, inseparable for two hours. Mike looked at her like there was no one else around with his focus on her the rest of the night. Will had felt that same intense focus on him while she was gone, and now missed it so much because she came back. He felt abandoned by his friend and blamed her. Mike even cried when it was over as she left with Hopper, who was taking her back into hiding for her safety. Will stepped in with Dustin, Lucas and Max to comfort him as the Police SUV drove away.

It took Mike until the next weekend to get over what had happened. He finally seemed normal when they all came over for a Dungeons and Dragons campaign the week before Christmas. They all slept in the basement after they were done with the game. Mike only had one breakdown dealing with El, and the other three boys talked him through it.

Will was always supportive even though he was a jealous wreck on the inside and dealing with the damage done by the shadow monster. He fell asleep that night pressed right up against Mike. His best friend accepted the mutual contact, for he needed it just as much as Will did. Will knew it was just for comfort, but he enjoyed and relished every minute, not understanding the significance of such things at the time. He began to realize that he also had a special place in Mike’s big heart, that there was plenty of room there for more than one person. He turned his jealousy into acceptance and went right back to being his loyal best friend.

He was forced out of the thought when he allowed the hair dryer to linger in one spot too long and it started to burn his scalp. He quickly jerked it away and turned it off. After rubbing the scalded spot on his head with a furious motion, he brushed his hair and teeth, applied some spray deodorant and a spritz of his cologne.

At the last second, he reached into the back of his drawer and grabbed a small container of concealer cream similar to the color of his skin. He dabbed a small amount of the stuff under each eye so it masked the dark circles that were a dead giveaway of his sleepless night. His mother had bought the make up for him to conceal the dark circles around his eyes. It helped him dodge a lot of concerned looks and unwanted questions. Finally, he squeezed two drops of Visine in each eye, blinking and then holding them closed until the burn went away.

One more glance in the mirror to make sure he was somewhat presentable, and he left the steamy little space. He jumped across the hall to his room, threw on a black t-shirt and faded blue jeans. The jeans were hand me downs from Jonathan and were perfectly worn and comfortable. Socks and black Chuck Taylor low tops rounded out his casual attire, and he was set to go. Hopefully he looked normal enough to get through his day without too much drama.

He headed to the kitchen, seeking another cup of coffee. He might even be able to eat something after the calming force of the shower and his morning rituals.

 “…really appreciate the recommendation and talking to Mr. Lane for us. I love the writing and learning how all of it works. The 4:00 a.m. delivery day start is brutal, but at least it's only once a week.” Mike’s voice was grew louder as he made his way to the dining room. It sounded as if him and Jonathan were talking shop.

“You know it, Mike. I’m always happy to help. Elliot says you guys are doing a great job. I think he plans on keeping you on through the school year, if you guys can.”

He had his back turned to him, but will could tell Mike was shoveling the food in at an unhealthy pace. This was probably the first home-cooked meal he had eaten in days.

“You better slow down or you’re going to choke again,” warned Will, giving Mike his trademark toothy grin as he sat down at the table.

“Funny Byers, about time you came out of the bathroom,” Mike spoke after swallowing a mouthful of scrambled eggs. “we’re going to be late again if you don’t do the…same.”

The last word fell off his tongue as he got his first good look at Will, his smile fading as he noticed the signs of Will’s long night. Only one person could read Will better than Mike, so it was easy for him to pick up on his friend’s current state. His head slightly tipped forward as he reached out and touched Will on the shoulder.

“You ok?”

“Yeah, just another long night…again,” Will's shoulder tingled at the touch and a familiar flutter rose in his gut. It was almost all internal, a feeling reserved for Mike alone. No outward signs, like a damning blush, betrayed his feelings...at least not this time. “I’ll be good by the time we get to the Post.”

Mike nodded and smiled, confident in Will’s ability to handle these sorts of things. “Get to eating then, heading out in five.”

“Deal.” He spoke while reaching for the full fresh pot of coffee, brewed while he was getting ready. He noticed how much stronger it was and appreciated the fact that he had an attentive and understanding brother. He managed to get his second cup down, and at least a couple of bites of eggs and bacon, making him feel much better. He sat, and half listened to Mike question Jonathan about New York, school and other small talk.

“Ready to ride Layout Assistant Byers?” quipped his lanky friend. Will eyed him closely as Mike wiped his mouth and walked toward the sink to deposit his dirty dishes. He was looking preppy in a blue and yellow striped Izod polo and blue jean shorts with his trademark white Nike low tops.

Mike, like Will, had also blossomed in his adolescence, his body had finally caught up with his arms and legs and he no longer flailed around like a clumsy praying mantis. He would never be labeled an athlete, but there was a subtle grace to his movements. He stood a hair's width over six feet and had lost all the boyish softness around his mid-section and face. High cheekbones and wide set eyes under a short mop of wavy dark brown hair did not make it easier on Will and his already confused feelings. Confused was quickly becoming the wrong word as he was becoming more and more sure of how he felt. Concealed or hidden would be a more accurate description now.

“Sure thing, boss.” Will mockingly answered as he got up from the table. “It’s the Friday of a long weekend that I’ve been looking forward to for a while, hopefully it goes by fast. See ya later Jon!” He gave another, quicker, hug to his brother and grabbed his book bag, following Mike out the door.

 “You guys have a good day.” Jonathan was confident in Will’s ability to handle days like this. It had happened so often in the last three years that even Joyce now allowed him to go through the motions of a “regular” day without interfering. Will always bounced back quickly and the people closest to him had grown accustomed to the growing strength and confidence of their loved one. Will was thankful that the hovering was almost nonexistent now, at least among those closest to him. The looks and questions were all he had to dread. “Love you!”

 Will quickly spoke, “Love you, Bye!” before the door shut with a thud behind him. He turned toward the car, thinking, hoping he had enough to get through the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. Please leave comments or questions and I will answer them all quickly.
> 
> P.S. This story was edited and reposted Dec. 9 2018. Thanks to my aunt Jackie for lots of great 80's info and to Daphne for beta reading/editing alot of my mistakes. Much love to both of you.
> 
> Most of all thank you for reading this. I appreciate every comment and kudos. All readers are a special gift.
> 
> If you use Tumblr you can follow me there for more ST and other entertaining stuff @thepragmaticrebel


	2. The Hawkins Post

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will tries his best to work without dwelling on his sleepless night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the comments on the first chapter. This one is a little lighter and more fun. Please comment below on whatever you like. I absolutely love hearing from you.

** The Hawkins Post **

Will Byers stepped off his front porch and headed for the enormous station wagon where Mike was waiting on him. The elder Wheelers had given the car to Nancy, Mike’s older sister, at the beginning of her senior year. Mike inherited the “ _Blue Hulk_ ”, so dubbed by Dustin Henderson, when he turned sixteen. Dark blue with wood paneling down each side, and an interior that would seat the greater part of a football team, it had become the party’s primary transportation over the last couple of years. Will climbed in and sank into the huge passenger seat as Mike cranked the beast. The radio came to life, blaring a loud distorted guitar riff and thumping beat, featuring a rap by a guy with a high whiny voice and stereotypical New York accent. Mike quickly reached over and turned the volume all the way down but not before Will blanched and recoiled at the obnoxious noise.

“Sorry man, I know that was way too loud.”

“The volume, Michael, is not the problem. The problem is you’re listening to the Beastie Boys… again!” Will jokingly (somewhat) fussed at him. “I give you music, I let you listen to good, REAL music and this is what you listen to when I’m not here. I give up.”

Mike smiled at the mostly fake scolding and apologized again, “I’m really sorry. It’s Dustin’s fault. He listens to them all the time and it grew on me. It’s kind of catchy, right?” His eyes pleading with Will for some acceptance. He didn’t get it. “Here, pick whatever you want. Anything to make you feel better and erase my bad taste.” He popped open the center console motioning for Will to get something he liked.

Will dug through the cassettes and settled on U2. They were one of his absolute favorites. He had been listening to them for a while, but the group had recently gotten popular, Grammy award popular. They were one of those bands that bridged the gap between pop and the alternative punk rock that he was more accustomed to. He plugged the Joshua Tree cassette in, hoping to erase the other noise from his memory. He eased the volume back up, not too loud, knowing they liked to talk when they were in the car and he didn’t want to make it difficult. Talk didn’t come so easy on this drive though.

The first song on the tape was close to the end. The familiar melodic rhythm of the next track filled the car. Will fell back into his seat and let the music wash over and calm him.

_I have climbed the highest mountain_

  
_I have run through the fields_

  
_Only to be with you, only to be with you_

 

Bono’s smooth smoky voice flooded the car. Will was singing along as Mike drove quietly toward The Hawkins Post. Music was a huge part of Will’s life. He appreciated the power of certain songs, especially songs like this. It was romantic, but not just a simple ballad. This song was an anthem, religious even. In no way was he religious or interested in it at all, but these lyrics carried a lot of meaning to Will. The power of music was lost on most people, not Will Byers. Music had helped sustain him through all the trying times of his life. His parent’s divorce, the upside down. The shadow monster had hated it when he tried to sing in his mind. It would strike at Will when he tried to use music to help. It was beautiful and sustaining to him, thus the creature despised it.

_But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for_

He rolled his head over to look at Mike, his gaze lingering. Mike was driving, oblivious to Will studying him. Tapping the steering wheel to the beat, singing the chorus and any other words he might know. Every now and then he would glance to the left side, out his window to look at the country rolling by.

Will's eyes remained locked on Mike.

_I have kissed honey lips_

_Felt the healing fingertips_

_It burned like fire_

_This burning desire_

Will started to blush a little, feeling the heat rise in his cheeks.

_Probably shouldn’t choose songs like this when riding in a car with the person you may have feelings for._

He chuckled at the inner monologue. He still wasn’t sure what was going on in his heart. Recently, his feelings of love for his friend had become something closer to attraction. He had never liked a boy like that before, hell, he had never liked anyone like this before. These feelings were reserved for Mike only. He didn’t want anything to change with his best friend, but the words of the song described his feelings exactly...they burned.

Without warning, Mike looked over at him. Dark, liquid brown eyes met Will’s stare.

_Beautiful_.

The blush became the fullest shade of pink and a thousand “butterflies” took flight in his stomach.

Mike smiled, “You look like you feel a little better.” He either didn’t notice Will’s reaction to being caught staring or pretended he didn’t.

His voice brought Will back to reality. Breaking the hypnosis of looking into those eyes.

A few agonizing seconds passed.

_Answer him, dumbass!_

He prodded himself to speak. “I…I am, good music always helps. Work will help too. It’ll keep me distracted. Plus, Jonathan made me some special coffee. Pretty sure my hair is going to stand on end.” He managed to say it all without stammering too much.

Mike giggled, turning back to pay attention to the road. “If you need anything today…you know I’m right there.”

The song began fading out. Will looked at him thoughtfully, “I know. I’ll be ok, I promise.” He paused as a thought hit him, “Hey, we should invite the girls to lunch with us. We can hit up the food court at the mall.”

 Mike brightened up, “That’d be awesome. You want to set it up or do you want me to do it?”

“I’ll take care of it. You have a lot more to do today than me. All my drawings are done. I just need the rest of your stories so I can finish the layout and get it to the printer. Then no more work until Wednesday!”

“Sounds perfect. I’ll have all of it to you by noon…guaranteed.” Giving Will a quick wink to emphasize the last word.

Will smiled. He appreciated the shop talk. Mike was wheeling the car into their usual parking space now. They were almost always the first ones there, today they would be the only ones. The rest of the staff was taking advantage of the long holiday weekend. They climbed out of the car and strode toward the door of the Hawkins Post, the only news outlet dedicated to their quiet city.

 

* * *

 

Mike, with a recommendation from Jonathan, had started working for the newspaper at the start of the school year. Journalism seemed to come naturally to the bright and creative young man. He also had a curious streak that combined with the ability to question every situation, made him perfect for the job. The Editor/Manager/Owner, Elliot Lane, liked him from the start. Mike wasn’t afraid of any story and he also knew when to balance it with a fluff piece. He was also teachable and took criticism and editing of his writing well. This endeared him to Mr. Lane, who took him under his wing and started teaching him all about the business. The best part for Mike was that he got paid to do what he loved. Within a month he was named assistant to the editor and given more responsibility. Ted Wheeler beamed when Mike told him the news. The man had never been truly proud of Mike before and it was strange new ground for the distant father and son.

Around the first of March, a part time position opened in the layout department. That division was housed in a small room in the back of the building. It had a large flat table where the paper was put together, like a puzzle, to maximize space on each page.

“Blank space is wasted money, Wheeler, don’t forget that. Layout is the most important job here. Every space must be filled.” Mr. Lane was old school and quoted the same ten sayings about the paper business several times a week, which this was one of. It didn’t take Mike long to learn them all and now they haunted his thoughts every day.

He also learned that it took a special artistic mind to put everything together in a working flow. The layout department consisted of two part time employees. One was a chain-smoking older lady named Margaret Kohner, who was very controlling and particular about how every edition of the paper looked. Her long time assistant was retiring to bake cakes for the local Junior League. Mike thought the job would be perfect for Will. He was artistic, hard-working and dealt well with chain smoking control freaks. He got an interview scheduled for him with Mr. Lane the day he found out the position was available.

Mr. Lane gave Will the job after seeing him interact with Marge for less than ten minutes. She was a tough person to get along with for most people but her and Will clicked and developed a grandmother/grandson relationship in just a very short time. She wanted to smoke and drink coffee while still being the boss, and he was good at the job. His left brained nature easily placed the articles and pictures together in a pleasing and efficient way and he would always let her throw in her opinion on things when she wanted to. It kept her happy, which meant everyone at the Post was happy. Will also provided an extra bonus the paper didn’t have at the time, he could draw and had an eye for photography. His sketches and pictures soon littered the pages of the Post. They added a new element to liven up a paper stuck in the 1940s.

Both boys grew accustomed to the trade of journalism. They fit into the system well, and best of all, they could do it together. During the slow summer they had been given more freedom and duties. After learning to trust Will completely, Marge left in June on an extended leave of absence. Her brother was an ambulance chasing lawyer in Chicago that needed secretarial help for a while, so she jumped at the opportunity to get out of Hawkins. Just like that, Will became a one-man department. He made the office his own, decorating it with random drawings and some of his brother’s photographic art.

* * *

Will walked into the space and dropped his book bag onto the large table. It made an unusual metallic clunk that he wasn’t expecting. He pulled opened the grey and red Jansport bag and reached inside the main pocket where his hand met a warm metal cylinder. He smiled as he realized what it was. Sometime during breakfast, Jonathan had slipped a large thermos full of the super strong coffee into Will’s book bag. Silently giving thanks for his amazing brother, he went to the break room to retrieve his coffee mug. It was white with red and pink hearts surrounding two beagle puppies. The caption on the mug said “Puppy Love” in bold black letters. Jenn had given it to him for Valentine’s day in tenth grade. He filled it and began sipping as he studied and adjusted the current layout on his table.

“That cup kills me.”

 He looked up to see Mike entering his office.

“Its special to me,” Will replied, “and I guarantee no one else would ever drink out of it.”

Mike laughed, “Wait, don’t move.” He ran out the door, then after a minute came back in, holding out his black Garfield and Odie mug, “Do you have any you can spare? We are out of filters and I don’t want to go to the store?”

“Sure,” he leaned over and poured some into his mug, “but you may want to put an ice cube or a little water in it. This is the strong stuff Jonathan made me.”

“Thank you, but it can't be that bad,” He turned to go back to his space to finish his first of two articles.

“You’re welcome and don’t say I didn’t warn you!” He called after him, not sure if he was still in earshot.

Will went back to work, checking all sixteen pages of the weekend edition layout again. He found and corrected a handful of mistakes. He went over the caricatures of Oliver North and Ronald Reagan that he drew for the politics section to make sure they were distorted enough to be humorous. He was now finished with his part and only needed the two pieces that Mike was working on. He kept himself busy for another hour by doing some other drawings that they might be able to use in the future.

He was starting to get bored and decided that he had given El enough time to sleep in, so he picked up the phone and dialed the number for the cabin. Four rings later he heard the click as someone picked up.

“ _Hello, Hopper residence_.” El was almost always the one to answer the phone up there.

“Hey El. I didn’t wake you, did I?”

“ _Nope, just watching Days of Our Lives on the VCR._ ” She had always loved her soap operas and learned a lot of human interaction by watching them. The other party members and parents had to tweak those interactions to be more appropriate for normal everyday people.

“That sounds awful, I don’t see how you watch that crap.”

* * *

 

He thought of the time in their freshman year, when her and Mike were still together, that she full on tongue kissed Mike for thirty seconds in the middle of Hawkins High School lobby. He had been ranting and raving about something for a while and she turned to him and just did it, out of the blue, for no apparent reason. Mr. Stewart, their English teacher, was not happy with the open display of affection and scolded the two of them for the better part of five minutes. Mike just stood there wide eyed, opening and closing his mouth like a fish sucking air. He was in total in shock from being kissed like that and didn’t speak much the rest of the day.

Max asked her why she did that when her, Will and El were on their way home later that same day.

“That’s how you make people shut up, correct? He was being loud and annoying everyone. So, I did that to stop him from yelling anymore.” El was always honest, brutally so.

Max looked at Will and he nodded for her to take this one. “No, El, you just ask them to stop or say shut up or something, the kiss is just for dramatic effect, it’s a TV thing. People don't do that in real life.”

“Dramatic effect,” El repeated and then blushed at her mistake.

Will, who found the whole thing amusing, chimed in, “It did work though. He stopped talking.”

Mike told him later that it was the first and only time that they ever kissed like that. Not long after they mutually decided to end the romantic part of their relationship and to just focus on being friends. El was not ready for the serious relationship Mike wanted. There were other reasons as well, but both agreed it was better now.

* * *

 

“ _Will_ ,” Her voice snapped him backed to the present, “ _I spent almost two years alone in a cabin, Hopper says I’m addicted._ ”

“That’s true. Anyway, I called to see if you and Max wanted to go to lunch with us. We will be done here around 1:30 or so.”

“ _YES, YES, YES! I’ve got to get out of here. I miss home and you guys already!_ ” 

He smiled, “Awesome, I’ll call Max and get her to swing by and pick you up.”

There was a pause before she spoke. “ _You don’t need to,_ ” another pause, “ _She’s almost here. Walking through the woods now. See you in a little bit._ ” Click.

Her hanging up like that didn’t faze him anymore. He just smiled and hung up the receiver. She couldn’t read minds, but she could feel and see when someone got close to her or if they were in some sort of distress. As she grew older, her abilities increased and fine-tuned, allowing her to keep watch over all the people she loved. Will was certain that he was the only one who knew all his sister was capable of.

He walked over to Mike’s office to give him the news. What he saw when he got there was quite a sight to behold, so he just stood at the door enjoying the show for a bit. Mike’s hair was sticking up as if he had repeatedly run his fingers through it, and he had crazy eyes with multiple pens tucked behind each ear. His right leg was bouncing rapidly up and down, and he was frantically looking for something around his desk, apparently having a tough time finding it. He swung his chair around and kicked his legs, propelling the wheeled office chair ten feet across the tile to retrieve a pen from the cup on Mr. Lane’s desk. He scooted back over to his area and began scrawling on the legal pad in front of him. He seemed to finish whatever he was writing then tucked a third pen behind his right ear and threw the pages in the file tray on top of his desk. That’s when he noticed Will.

“Hey man! I’m almost done. I’m finished with the Olympic preview piece and now I’m doing the July 4th events page and then we can go. It should take about 30 minutes. Did you call the girls? Where do you want to eat? I am so excited!” Will had never heard him string words together so quickly, he took a few seconds to process the vocal barrage.

“Umm, ok, cool, good deal, that’s not long at all, yes I did and I'm not sure yet, probably Wendy's and me too.” He acknowledged every statement Mike had made in his run on.

Mike looked at him like he had sprouted alien antennas. “Huh?”

“Never mind. Yes, I called them they’ll be here at one thirty.”

“AWESOME! That’s going to be so much fun. Ok, let me get finished.” He turned back to his desk and began searching for something again. He stood up checking his pockets and all around the floor.

“What’re looking for buddy?” Will asked his caffeine high friend, his tone amused and just short of condescending.

“My pen, it was just here, I swear it was.”

Will walked over and grabbed both of his shoulders, turning him so they were face to face. Smiling wide he looked Mike in the eyes and reached up toward the sides of his head with both hands, causing a flit of embarrassment, maybe fear, to cross Mike’s eyes. Will used his fingers to brush his dark hair back, and with smooth gentle movements plucked all the pens from their resting spots and presented them to him one by one. Every time he pulled a pen his fingers grazed the top of Mike’s ears.

Mike’s face turned bright pink. Will assumed it was from embarrassment or the caffeine.

“Oh! Thanks man, totally forgot about putting them there.” Mike spoke, reaching his hand up to feel the ridge of his right ear where Will had just touched.

“That’s what friends are for,” Will reminded him as he reached around Mike’s back and picked up the quarter full Garfield mug from the desk behind his friend, “and I warned you it was too strong. No more for you. Please don’t have a heart attack.” Patting Mike’s chest three times for emphasis, the last touch lingering for just a half second longer and sliding downward as Will pulled his hand away

Will walked over and grabbed the first batch of pages from the desk tray and turned to head toward his work space. “I’ll get started on this, just bring that piece over when you are done.” He left the room oblivious to the petrified state Mike was in, so similar to how he was in the school lobby as the teacher scolded him for a kiss.

* * *

 

Mike was still rubbing the ridge of his right ear after Will left. His left hand went to his chest, where it was still tingling from Will's touch. The familiar scent of his cologne and coffee lingered in his nose like a pleasant dream. Both smells would remind him of Will for the rest of his life.

_What the hell just happened?_

His mind played back over the interaction. Something about it reminded him of the time El had kissed him in the school lobby. The look in Will’s eye was so similar. Was Will trying to calm down his caffeine stoked nerves or was it something more? Whatever it was, his insides were all screwy and he wanted Will to come back and touch him some more.

_NO! You can’t think that way. He’s your best friend, YOUR BEST FRIEND!_

He shook his head to clear the thoughts. Will would be so mad at him if he knew what Mike had been thinking just then.

_Let’s just put that behind us and move on._

He convinced himself that it was just his geeked up mind making things what they weren’t. That’s it. Jonathan’s wicked strong coffee is playing tricks on him. He went back to his desk. The fog in his mind seemed to clear.

_That was just friendly touching. Will was just being Will._

He had always been clingy and touchy; all the Byers’ were. Will especially, when he was hurting or going through tough times. The weekend after the Snow Ball popped into his head. The way Will had comforted him by wrapping his arms around him as they slept. His head nestled in the crook of Mike’s neck. The contact had been nice and filled the empty spot left by El.

Whatever had happened just then had calmed his caffeine high and he could still feel the heat of Will’s fingers lingering on his ears. He went back to his desk and tried to focus on getting his work done so they could go have some fun. The thoughts didn’t leave his brain though, maybe never would. He was more than a little disturbed that he hoped the touching was more than just casual behavior. He decided when he saw Will again that he had to pretend nothing weird had happened. He couldn’t afford to let Will think it caused those feelings and thoughts to come into his head. He didn’t want Will to be angry with him. Everything would be just fine

* * *

Will strode back to his office, finishing off Mike’s leftover coffee as he walked. He sat down and powered up the IBM 5150 that the Post had acquired when the boys convinced Mr. Lane that it was time for the paper to crawl into the computer age. As he was waiting for the old computer to boot up, a memory flashed into his mind. His hand touching Mike’s chest and sliding downward, his left thumb brushing Mike’s right ear as he grabbed the blue pen. The sequence of memories flashed by faster. His hands on Mike’s shoulders, turning him so they were face to face, an embarrassed look, a rosy blush on Mike’s cheek, chest to chest with him as he reached around to grab the cup of coffee, the smell of fabric softener on Mike’s shirt! His fingers brushing Mike’s mussed hair behind his ears!

_OH MY GOD! What the fuck did I just do?_

That was it, he had screwed up. He lost it. His eyes were wide with panic as he looked around for something to grab hold to.

_NO, NO, NO! This isn’t happening, I’m smarter than that. Maybe it’s not that bad. Yes, it is that bad! Maybe Mike didn’t see it the same way. That damn song in the car caused this. It got me all confused and thinking._

His fingertips ground into the semi soft padding on the arms of the chair. He closed his eyes and leaned back. Trying to force his mind to think. Only one thing came to mind as a solution.

_I’ve got to move to California. I can be on a bus by 4:00._

He drove the silly thought out of his head. His mind was in a weak state, he was sleep deprived and spent the previous night imprisoned in his own past. He had a moment of weakness and his daydreams about touching Mike forced themselves into reality. He started to calm down a little. If Mike was acting weird or even confronted him about it, then he would blame his screwed-up brain. It was technically the truth. The thought calmed him a little more.

He replayed the whole encounter over again. Maybe it wasn’t really that bad. When he got to the part where he patted Mike’s chest, he blushed bright red.

_Why did I keep my hand there! Why did I rub his CHEST!_

The terror came as he remembered why. For a millisecond he imagined his hand gripping those yellow and blue stripes and pulling his friend into a kiss. In real life it went through his mind quickly, but it still caused him to linger and slide. Another mental flash of pinkish red on pale white.

_Holy Shit! I was watching his lips!_

Hopefully Mike didn’t catch that either.

He went to the bathroom and splashed some cold water on his face. He tried to come up with a plan where he could test to see if any damage had been done. Mike was smart, but he wasn’t wise when it came to reading feelings and emotions. He decided to go back over after he had typed up the first article and see how he reacted. That would tell him how to proceed next.

He hoped beyond hope that he was over reacting. He sat down at the computer and typed Mike’s work into the format he needed for his layout. It took about twenty minutes to finish. He checked the time, 12:45. They should easily be done by 1:30. He placed the article. Now all he needed was that last small piece Mike was working on. He steeled his nerves and walked back to the editor's office.

_Be normal, pretend it didn’t happen, test the waters._

He calmed himself with a deep breath, knocked and walked in, “Hey man, almost done?”

“Yep, finishing now.” He continued writing a few more lines. “How are you feeling? I know you’ve got to be tired and worn out.”

“I am tired. My mind isn’t working right. Everything feels weird.” It wasn’t a complete lie. He over informed Mike about how he felt, hoping it might excuse or explain his earlier actions.

Mike grabbed the paper and walked over to him. “I’m sure it will be better once you get some lunch and maybe some time in at the arcade.” He patted Will on the shoulder after giving him the paper. “Now go finish, I’m going to clean up.”

“Ok, thanks Mike…for everything.”

His friend smiled at him and began straightening his desk up. Will turned to go back and finish his work.

* * *

 

Mike blew out his held breath after Will left the office.

_Ok, that went better than expected_

Mike replayed it in his head. He had been right, it was his caffeine driven mind making it seem weird. Will was just being Will. No weirdness. His mind felt at ease.

He also felt a little twinge of something else. What if it had been more? The thought of Will showing him special attention wasn't bad at all. Was he sad that it wasn't what he thought at first? He liked being touched by Will.

He quickly shelved the dangerous thought.

_No! Its fine now...normal...the way it needs to be. He doesn’t need to know how I feel about him. It would just complicate things._

He finished cleaning his office and went to finish the other rooms and to lock up.

* * *

 

_That went way better than I thought it would!_

Everything about the conversation seemed normal to Will. Maybe he just over thought what happened. He walked back and sat down at the old computer. Relief washed over him as he finished typing the words. He placed the last piece of the weekend edition into place and rolled up all sixteen pages. He slid them into a long cardboard tube for delivery to the printer. The paper would be printed this afternoon and delivered early tomorrow morning. Luckily, they didn’t have to help with delivery this time. He would be able to sleep in on Saturday. 

The thought of sleeping was wonderful. Though, if he tried to sleep now, he would find himself faced with the visions again. Sleep would avoid him until he had some help, El’s help. It had to wait until the appropriate time though, when they had time and privacy. Just like when she'd helped before.

He grabbed his book bag and the cardboard tube. Just as he was turning off his light, he heard the jingle of the bell on the front door followed by the sound of two laughing girls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> /Hope you enjoyed it. Apolgies for it being short but the actual chapter was way too long and had to be broken up a little. I will post the next one very soon!
> 
> Please leave a comment or question. I love hearing from you. Thanks for all the comments and kudos on the first chapter too
> 
> P.S. This chapter was edited and reposted on 12-9-18. Thanks to my aunt Jackie who is an endless reaource of 80s culture and life. and to Daphne for beta reading and cleaning up the story. Love you both!
> 
> If you're on tumblr give me a follow @thepragmaticrebel


	3. The Mall and a Mild Deception

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will's rough day wears on. The girls take Will and Mike to the mall. Little bit of fun and drama for all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy this chapter. I promise the story is going somewhere. We will be having some fun and drama these next couple of chapters. Please let me know what you think in the comments. Thanks to everyone who has left a comment on other chapters. I love hearing from you guys.

 

The Mall and a Mild Deception

  
After hearing the clamor of the two teenage girls entering the lobby, Will walked into the front room smiling, “Hey guys, what’s going on?” He got the question out just as he was embraced by El Hopper. She hugged him tight and then looked him over, checking every part of him.

“You’re ok.” Once again, not a question but a statement. She seemed happy that Will was handling his mental state well. “What happened a few minutes ago? You were in a panic and then it went away,” she spoke quietly as if she didn’t want Max to hear.

He shook his head, “No big deal, I was worried about something that was nothing, tell you about it later. What happened to your arm?” He cradled her arm as he noticed the large patch of gauze with a bandage wrapped around it.

“I fell through the porch floor last night. Dad says it’s starting to rot.” She didn’t need to tell him that the gash happened as she was running off the front porch to come to him. When she felt the turmoil in his mind, she left the cabin, moving fast and careless. One of the old rotten boards gave way and when she fell gashed her arm on the point of an exposed nail. As Hop was stitching up the wound, he explained to her that she couldn’t go and that it would wait until today. She stayed up the rest of the night and called the house as early as she could without waking the Byers up.

“Does it need more stitches? It looks bad.” He spoke as he was examining her arm

“No doctors, you know that. Dad put plenty of stitches in. I’ll be fine.”

He nodded, let her arm go and held up a hand to Max. She gave him an enthusiastic high five. “Good to see you Max. Welcome to the Hawkins Post.” He spread his arms out wide as if revealing a fabulous new house.

Max studied the bland room for a second, “So this is the not awesome place you and Wheeler are always boring us with. It’s…uh…nice, I guess.” Max was an inch or two shorter than El and wore her shoulder length red hair in a single pony tail.  

“It’s not supposed to be fancy, just a small-town newspaper that hardly anyone reads. We like it though. C’mon, I’ll take you to Mike’s office.”

“No need,” Mike announced walking into the room, “all cleaned and locked up back there.” He gave each girl a greeting and quick hug. “You guys ready for lunch? We are done for the day.”

“Hell yeah, I’ve been home all week doing nothing. When I found out El was back at the cabin, I went straight up there to break her out. Super excited we are spending the day with you guys.” Max chucked Will on the arm. El had told her earlier that he had a bad night. No secrets among the six of them were allowed, well most secrets. Max also knew that Will hated extra attention, so all he got from her was the light hit and a big smile.

“How did you guys get here?” Will asked turning for the front door. They all followed suit and headed out into the stifling July air.

“Billy drove us. We almost died.” El offered bluntly.

“No, we didn’t. It was only a little scary when he turned into the parking lot at full speed and barely slowed down for us to get out.”

The boys laughed. Ever since Max had threatened him, Billy had left all of them alone. He still got angry when forced to shuttle Max around town. It was his penance for choosing to still live in his father’s house.

They all made their way to the car. Max and El hopped into the back seat and Will took his usual spot riding shotgun. The car would hold all six of them, and it was understood that when he was with them that the front seat was his. It had always been that way.

When he got in, he ejected the U2 cassette, not wanting to spark the emotion or memory of the ride in. He tuned it to the local rock station and just let it play. They would be talking anyway so he didn’t need to spend time picking something specific. He started the conversation, “I can’t wait for Dustin and Lucas to get back. I haven’t gone two weeks without seeing them since we’ve been friends.”

The two boys had been away at camp for fourteen days. Mr. Sinclair thought it would be good for them to get away from their day to day lives. This would be the last summer that they would be able to do something like that since next year they would be preparing for college. Lucas’ father wanted all four of the boys to go to the rugged team building camp, but Mike and Will had their commitments at the Post and couldn’t go.

“They should be getting in around midnight. I told Lucas about cooking out tomorrow in my last letter,” Max was excited thinking about seeing them, they all were. “They’ll be there."

“Speaking of tomorrow, what movies are you guys wanting?” Mike changed the subject as he was pulling out of the parking lot. It was his job to provide entertainment since he was the only one of them with a rental card from the video store.

“Breakfast Club,” El spoke up first.

“NO!” The other three shouted in unison.

“I’m putting you on a year ban from that movie, El,” Max explained. “We’ve watched it twenty times in the last two months.”

“Fine, it’s still my favorite until Beetlejuice comes out on video.”

They all groaned again, she had dragged them to the theater three times to see the cheesy ghost movie. It was good the first time, but just got annoying after that.

“He’s the ghost with the most and Winona Ryder is so cute.” El had no hang ups. She always said what she felt. It didn’t matter to her that most people in Hawkins didn’t approve of that kind of talk. “Oh, how about the Princess Bride?” More groans from her friends.

“Ok, no more movie suggestions for El, she obviously can’t choose a movie for those of us with more…grown up tastes. I vote Lost Boys. Jason Patric is super-hot.” Max spoke with a dreamy look in her eyes

Mike nodded in approval, “I can handle Lost Boys. Anything scary would be cool with me,” Mike narrowed his eyes and grimaced. “Wait a second, isn’t Jason Patric the one who looks a lot like Billy? That’s some sick shit Maxine.”

Mike leaned into the steering wheel, knowing that the open hand of the girl sitting behind him would be swinging toward his head. It whooshed by, fingertips brushing the back of his hair. Everyone in the car broke out into laughter. They continued their playful banter about movies for a few more minutes. In the end they decided on Lost Boys and The Princess Bride to make El happy.

During the conversation, Will turned his head to look out the car window and stared out at the passing scenery. His thoughts were muddled, and he didn’t feel like being a part of the conversation. He found himself missing Lucas and Dustin. They had all grown accustomed to each other as a group, and when a part was missing it just felt wrong. Will often wondered what they were going to do next summer. They could be going their separate ways, but he always hoped they would somehow stay together, which he knew wasn’t likely. Every time the subject was brought up, the talk faded fast. None of them wanted to think about the possibilities of them not being together, most of all Will.

He was jolted out of his thoughts when Mike touched him on the arm, “Will, we’re here,” He had that concerned look on his face again, “You ok?”

“Yeah, yeah I’m good, just daydreaming.” He slipped out of the car into the oppressive afternoon heat. Hawkins was right in the middle of a heat wave and drought. The high temperature had been hovering around one hundred degrees the last 20 or so days and he couldn’t even remember the last time it rained. The grass was brown and crunched when you walked across it. He regretted not putting on shorts this morning, the jeans were too hot and sticking to his sweaty legs. He turned and jogged after his friends. He always loved coming to the mall.

They were all hungry and made their way straight to the food court. All the typical chain restaurants were there with a sprinkling of a few others added in. After finding a table out in the middle of the huge atrium, Will and El sat down to reserve it while Max and Mike headed off toward the Chinese restaurant that they always chose. They would go and get their food at Wendy’s when the other two got back.

A few steps into their walk, Max slipped her arm through Mike’s and leaned her head on his shoulder. The party knew that there was no romance between them, but the two formed a deep bond after all that happened in November of ‘84 and the summer of ‘85. Anyone else looking at them would have thought they were a cute teenage couple enjoying lunch at the mall.

When Max first moved to Hawkins, she was hated by El and shunned by Mike. He had been a real prick to her when Lucas and Dustin first tried to bring her into their group. He didn’t have a reason to be that way other than the fact that she was a girl who wasn’t El. The same night that Will was released from the Mind Flayer saw other events that changed Mike’s mind about her. First, when Max stabbed her brother in the neck with the hypodermic filled with tranquilizer, knocking him out and saving Steve Harrington from a beating that could have killed him at the hands of Billy. Mike had been shocked into silence when she did it and started changing his mind about her, realizing she was a badass.

The second was when the fiery redhead strapped blocks to her feet and got behind the wheel of Billy’s stolen car. She managed to get them to Hopper’s tunnel in one piece and quickly at that. As she skidded to a stop, the word “Incredible” escaped his lips, describing her and her actions. Right then his vote to let her join the party was recast, officially making her their zoomer. They didn’t know then, but the timing of their actions, and the boldness of Max, provided the catalyst that not only helped Hopper and El close the gate, but also wounded the shadow monster in Will and helped push it out of him. His full acceptance of her, shocked the other party members at first. It was a complete turnaround that wasn’t normal for their stubborn friend.

Will and Max were instant friends. She was fascinated by what he went through and the strength in him to fight the supernatural monsters. After everything normalized, their friendship grew with special trips to the arcade. She would teach him some of her secrets, so he could steal some of the top spots on the video game boards. This frustrated Lucas and Dustin. Will had never been better than them before and now he was topping their high scores. Max loved watching the two of them struggle with more people being better than them.

Then one day Will asked Max to teach him to skateboard. Thanks to Joyce and her overprotection, he hadn’t ridden a bike in a long time and needed the freedom skating provided. Most of the music he listened to was from the west coast and revolved around the hobby. Max complied and started teaching him every chance they got. Will picked it up quicker than he thought and soon rode around almost as much as she did.

Will turned to face El after watching the other pair walk into the small restaurant. He was met with her serious unblinking eyes, scrutinizing his every move. Her arched eyebrow asked more than any words could.

“I can’t control when it happens, I wish you had been home, too.” Will whispered, leaning in close.

“Do you want me to help?”

He gave her the tiniest nod.

She looked around to make sure no one was watching them too close and reached out with her right hand, touching his left cheek with her palm, two fingers resting on his temple. He leaned into the familiar touch and closed his eyes. The heat started in her palm and radiated outward through the fingers touching that sensitive spot. As it got more intense, the warmth felt more like vibrations. Over the years, the telekinesis she was gifted with not only became stronger, but she also learned how to direct it with laser like precision. She used the smallest push to stimulate the pituitary gland nestled deep in the middle of his head, just behind the eyes. This caused a release of endorphins and hormones that would help him feel better for a short time. He didn’t know what she did but only that it worked. The tension in his shoulders eased. The headache and exhaustion evaporated. He took in a deep breath, relaxing for the first time that day. The touch would help him get through the next few hours.

He reached up and took hold of her hand, “Thank you.” A tear of gratitude spilled out when he opened his hazel-green eyes. They were clear and temporarily free of pain. He swiped a hand across his cheek, wiping away the wetness and began to compose himself for their friends’ return.

A slight look of worry crossed his face when he thought of Mike. Her help reminded him that they would need to be alone that night and Mike couldn’t be there. How was he going to try and explain why they couldn’t do anything with him that evening?

She looked at him with just a hint of curiosity on her face, reading his body language and facial expressions. “You can just tell him it’s a family only dinner and that you need a lot of rest.” She offered, knowing exactly what he was worried about, “It’s not a lie.”

“I know, but it’s not complete truth either. Can you tell him?”

The two of them often talked in a weird half verbal conversation style. The party had gotten used to it, but they hadn’t even seen the full side of the nonverbal communication that the two of them used when they were alone. They couldn’t read each other’s minds, but they could feel the other’s emotions and read a full sentence in just a raised eyebrow or small facial twitch.

She arched her eyebrow, knowing that Mike would accept the excuse easier if it came from Will.

He spoke again, “But this time Dustin and Lucas aren’t here for him to be with. He’s going to be home alone. Nancy and Jonathan are going to that concert in Indianapolis and won’t be back until tomorrow. His parents and Holly won’t be home for days. He doesn’t do well being by himself.”

“Stop worrying and just tell him what I told you. It will be fine.” Her eyes glanced up, looking over his shoulder, “Here they come.” She warned him, so they wouldn’t hear what he was talking about.

Mike was walking behind Max carrying their tray of Mongolian beef and garlic chicken, both plates piled high with broccoli and other vegetables. They always split whatever meals they chose. When they sat down, both Will and El turned up their noses at the Chinese food.

“Don’t hate Byers’, just because you two don’t eat vegetables, doesn’t mean us normal people don’t.” Max sassed at them both.

“I’m a Hopper,” El corrected.

“Isn’t it really all the same?”

Will and El both smiled at the sassy, but accurate comment and headed for the Wendy’s holding hands, fingers entwined. They ordered lunch without much conversation and quickly came back to the table. When they got closer a sweet looking gray-haired lady was moving away from speaking with Mike and Max. She gave them both a big smile and a wink as they walked by her.

“What was that about?” Will asked as he placed the tray of burger and fries down.

Mike smiled broadly. “She gave us money for ice cream. Said we were two of the sweetest couples she had ever seen, and that the other boy looked like he was having a rough time and needed a treat.”

“Wow, that’s so nice, but shouldn’t we give it back? We aren’t couples.” El loved ice cream but she also didn’t want to lie to her.

“We tried to give it back, she refused no matter what we said. We can just go get ice cream with it. It’s what she wanted.” Max explained.

“I could actually go for some ice cream.” Will surprised his friends. El’s help eased his tension enough for hunger pangs to set in.

“Cool, let’s eat and go do that then.” Mike seemed ready to dig in.

The lunch conversation came a little easier for all of them since Will became an actual participant in the talk. Most of it concerned tomorrow and what they had planned for the weekend and holiday. The plans so far consisted of the cookout and swim party at the Wheeler house on Saturday. Dustin and Lucas had made some sort of rope swing/zip line contraption, so they had requested for the six of them to go to the lake on Sunday.

Mike’s parents wouldn’t be getting back until the following Tuesday. They were visiting Karen’s parents in Michigan, and Mike was able to get out of the trip due to his job, which he was perfectly fine with. They were trusting and only had one rule: No girls spend the night unless adults were there. It made sense, two girls in their class had already gotten pregnant and this was their way of insuring that it wouldn’t happen to their kids.

After lunch they started browsing through the mall. Mike, Will and Max would have been happy to go straight to the arcade, but they had El with them and had to appease her because she didn’t care for video games at all. She loved shopping for clothes and looking through all the stores. All those years locked up in a bare brick room and seeing only the inside of a lab made her appreciate all the colorful apparel and the other wonders a mall provided.

“Hey, can we go to Macy’s? I want to try on a few things.”

Mike looked skeptical and Max just grinned. Will was happy and along for the ride. When they got to Macy’s, Mike and Will started toward the women’s area of the store, but El and Max stopped and called them back.

“Hey guys…this way…the Men’s department.” The girls had huge smiles on their faces. El loved dressing up in all kinds of clothes that she couldn’t afford. Her and Max made regular trips to do this sort of thing and every now and then she would wrangle Will into coming with them. She especially enjoyed dressing him like the boys in the teen magazines, making him her living Ken doll. Will being a t-shirt and jeans kind of guy, rarely dressed up but he enjoyed seeing himself in new and different looks.

Both turned around and Mike realized they had been tricked. “No, no way El. We have talked about this a hundred times. I’m not being a model anymore!” It had been a long time since he had allowed her to do this with him. Most times Dustin or Lucas were there to get him out of it. They refused to play this game and would pull Mike and Will to the arcade or other places when she tried to corner them.

Max shook her head, “The quicker you do just do it, the quicker we get to the Gold Mine. Lucas and Dustin aren’t here to help you win the fight and she’s been talking about it all morning.”

El’s face was determined. She had learned the stony expression from all the time she spent with Max.

Mike was like a cornered animal, looking for any way out of the situation. He turned to Will, “Do you agree to this?! Are you going to let her dress you like some TV star boy toy, or something?”

Will had learned when he should or could fight El on her quirky demands. He held up his hands, “She’s going to win, I agree with Max let’s just get it over with. We may even like some of it.”

“I won’t like it,” he pouted. “One outfit, that’s it!” He held up an assertive finger.

“Five!” She countered just as stubborn.

“No Jane, no…not five.” Mike only used her proper name when he was irritated.

Max mediated, “El, five is too much…agree to three, both of you?”

“Agreed.” El said flatly as she crossed her arms over her chest. Three was the number she originally wanted, so she technically was getting her way. She smiled and turned to go hunt down the clothes she wanted them to try on, thinking about how easy it was to manipulate boys.

Mike huffed and walked away, knowing he was beat. Will followed closely behind like a puppy after their owner, trying to think of a way to calm him down.

“I can’t believe she tricked us again! Why does she feel the need to dress us up?”

“It’s just her thing. Her and Max do this all the time, but she really loves it when boys are involved.” Will tried to justify it. He always seemed to be the one in the middle trying to make everyone happy.

“I hope no one else sees us, it’s embarrassing.” He went to the first dressing room and slammed the door before undressing, waiting the start of his torture. Will went to the second door and did the same. He could hear Mike slinging clothes around and whispering curses. He knew Mike was doing this to make El happy but he had to keep up appearances by pouting like a child.

First for Mike was a simple black suit with a skinny black tie over a light blue and pink striped silk shirt, and black loafers with no socks. Will got a white linen suit with a pink tank top. They walked out together from the dressing rooms. Mike was still pouting but had resigned himself to getting it over with.

When they got out there, Max was holding a small camera, wanting to take a few shots of the show.

“C’mon Max, seriously! A camera!” They got the Mike eye roll that was usually reserved for his parents.

“Wait” El moved toward Mike and removed the tie and unbuttoned the top 3 buttons on the shirt revealing his bony chest. Then she rolled up the sleeves on Will’s jacket. Miami Vice was one of her favorite shows and she was going for the look the main characters had. She backed away pleased, “Smile and at least look like you are enjoying it.” Pointing a finger at Mike.

Mike looked at Will, who seemed to be liking this way too much. “Fine. Take it.”

He gave a smile and let her take a few shots. Will was much more willing to strike poses, earning giggles from both girls.

She provided them with their second outfits that weren’t too bad either. Both got the fashion model treatment, all white shorts and polos with sweaters tied loosely around their necks. The change and pictures went quickly. Mike seemed to accept his fate and just went with it. She did have a way with clothes and they both looked nice. Will found a new appreciation for the way Mike looked in the clothing and wished that he could see him dress nice more often.

The last set did not as carefree as the first two. Will, without his earlier smiles, walked out in light blue stone washed jeans, white t-shirt, bright red leather jacket that had a dozen or more weird zippers all over it. She also had him in a black fedora hat and white high-top sneakers. No doubt this was the Hollywood boy look that Mike had been concerned about and he didn’t like it all. Will thought he looked like one of the New Kids on the Block members. The all boy band was way outside his musical taste and he didn’t really enjoy dressing like one of them.

He was ready for it to be over “Come on Mike, last one. Are you ready?"

He didn’t open the door and all Will could see were his worried eyes peering over the top. “I’m not coming’ out…no fucking way Will. This is…it’s too much. Uh-uh, nope.” He shook his head.

“C’mon man, look at me. It can’t possibly be worse than this.” He motioned his hands to the ridiculous pop star outfit he was wearing.

“You actually look really good in that. Me, not so much.” Will blushed a little at the compliment, “She saved this shit for last, on purpose. Oh my god.”

“It can’t be that bad. Let me see, I’ll let you know if it’s that awful, honestly.”

“Fucking shit man…let me get the stupid damn hat. The things we do to keep them happy…total bullshit...” He mumbled more curses while turning around. Will could feel his frustration seeping out of the changing room as he slung clothes around while looking for the last piece of his attire.

Will was holding his breath as the door cracked open, wondering what it could be that had him so upset. When he saw Mike, his heart skipped a beat, mouth fell open a little and his cheeks lit on fire. He tried to mask his expression but was overwhelmed by what the girls had done.

She had chosen skin tight black jeans that probably took him a lot of effort to get on, with a thin black leather belt. His hat was a modern style black fedora like the one Will was wearing only it was matched with black high-top sneakers. All that was covering his midsection was a slim tapered red plaid vest with one button. It barely covered any part of his middle. Mike’s skinny chest and slim toned arms were exposed and accented by the tight-fitting vest, which was short and drew attention to his bare waist line and V shaped torso.

_Holy shit! He looks amazing!_

Will immediately tried to stifle the thought, but Mike had already witnessed the look flash across his face and the oh so obvious blush.

“I knew it, it’s so bad it even embarrasses you! I’m not going out there! No fuckin way!” He turned back to the dressing room.

_Yeah, embarrassed for you…that’s it…exactly. I am not at all turned on by my super sexy best friend. Nope, nope, nope!_

He had to get a handle on himself.

“Wait, Mike!” Will grabbed his shoulder after finding his voice. “It’s not bad man, I just wasn’t expecting it is all. You look great. If you take it off, she’s going to pitch a fit and we’ll be here all day.”

“Will, please, I look like a clown!”

_Sexiest clown I’ve laid eyes on! Stop it, Will!_

“Hey, what’s taking so long guys? Arcade is waiting. Tick tock tick tock. Let’s go!” Max called to them through the dressing room door.

“One sec Max, we’re coming out now?” Will got behind Mike and pushed on the small of his back, guiding him toward the door.

“Please, Will, please don’t make me.” Will almost gave in to the pleading brown eyes but knew that it would be over soon if he just went out. If Mike chose to be headstrong now, then the battle between him and El would kill their afternoon.

“Look, I’ll go out first and make sure there isn’t anyone else around and I’ll make Max put the camera away, ok? You really do look good and it’s only a second or two.”

Mike nodded, “Fine, but I want first game choice and at least a couple of quarters from each of them. This is too much and should cost them.”

Will nodded and went out the opening of the dressing room. When they could see him, he spun around like a model and tipped his hat to them, causing both girls to giggle and applaud. He knew what they wanted and acting up the part would help him get what Mike demanded. Max took a picture and then looked behind Will at the dressing room door. “Where is he?”

Will sighed, “He has conditions. He’ll come out if you agree to no pictures, first game choice and you both have to give up some quarters.”

“What’s the point if we don’t get pictures Will?”

“One picture.” El countered.

Will kind of shrugged in agreement and turned around to get his friend. He opened the door and motioned for Mike to come out. “They agreed to it all except the picture. They want one.”

Mike's deep brown eyes looked troubled.

“Come on, man. I’ll be in it with you. Just one.”

“Only for you, Will, only for you. I swear, I’m never coming to the mall again.”

Will walked out first, followed by a sheepish Mike, hiding behind him like a five-year-old cowers behind his parents when meeting someone new. The next round of giggles and clapping from the two girls caused Mike to immediately turn around and retreat to the dressing room. Will stopped him and gave him a stern look, “One picture.”

Mike deflated, “I swear to God Will, no one else can see this.”

“Ok, I’ll make sure it stays a secret.” It reminded Will of trying to convince Holly to eat her vegetables when she was five.

Will put his arm around Mike’s shoulders and turned toward Max. “You had better hurry.” He smiled and prodded Mike forward, dropping his hand to rest on his side, below the vest. The bare skin was soft and warm, Will had to think about other things so he wouldn’t fixate on the contact. Mike’s long arm wrapped around his shoulders and he even managed a fake smile. Max snapped a quick picture and both boys turned and ran back into the cover of the dressing room. The girls giggled again, high fived one another and reveled in their manipulation.

After they got back into their normal clothes and all the test apparel was returned to the racks, they headed to the arcade, where they spent the better part of two hours. The plan was to hang there for a while then go get ice cream before going home. Mike chose Ghosts and Goblins, Max’s new favorite game, for his first play and he was determined to beat her high score. Max retreated to some older games and El went to play skeeball. She could easily manipulate the wooden balls into the highest point hole and get a massive amount of tickets for the cheap prizes the arcade offered.

Will, as usual, stayed right with Mike and played a couple of games in the immediate area. He was starting to feel bad again and soon settled for watching Mike hack up trolls and goblins with his animated knight. He was getting close to the place in the game that none of them had gotten past and was set on beating Max.

All the sounds were beginning to irritate Will. The beeps, bloops, other electronic sounds and explosions may as well have been needles scraping across a vinyl record. The bright graphics and neon lights became harsh to his sensitive eyes. It was becoming painful for him to stand there. He took a seat in the vacant car racing game stationed right next to where Mike was playing and leaned his head back on the hard plastic and closed his eyes, hoping for some relief.

His head swam, he felt like he was floating and soon drifted into that gray point of consciousness in between awake and asleep.

_He found himself standing in the lobby of Hawkins Lab, sirens were going off and bright yellow security lights were flashing. He looked down to see his scrawny younger body covered in a hospital gown. He began to panic and look around, desperate and trying to see what was going on. Thirteen-year-old Mike, with a baby face and longer slightly wavy hair, came bursting through the double wooden doors across the lobby and smiled at him. Will was so relieved to see his best friend and started to move toward him. Then, out of the corner of his eye he saw the evil hell hound running down the hall straight at Mike. He turned to yell at him to run, but it was too late. Another of the animals exploded through the doors and leaped through the air, taking Mike to the ground and climbing on top of him. Will screamed and ran to help. Before he could get to him, the long, sharp claws stabbed into Mike’s side and began ripping. Blood splashed and flew in huge drops. Mike screamed and reached for Will as another of the things jumped in and started ripping at his face and throat. “MIKE! Nooooo! MIKE!” He was screaming and sobbing at the same time. He fell to his knees…._

“WILL! WAKE UP!” Mike's ethereal, echoing yell broke through the nightmarish vision.

His eyes snapped open, heart racing in a full-blown panic, they were darting all around trying to figure out where he was. He saw an older Mike with shorter hair standing in front of him. He grabbed him by the shirt and screamed at him, “RUN, YOU HAVE TO RUN, THEY ARE COMING FOR YOU!”

Mike cupped Will’s cheek with a warm sweaty palm, “Will, it’s ok, we are here at the arcade. Look at me Will. No one else is here!” Mike was frantically trying to calm him down. He wrapped him in a hug and talked into Will’s ear. “Shhh, calm down Will, I’m here, I’m right here.”

About that time El came running over and put her hands on Will’s face, forcing him to focus on her. Will realized who she was and seemed to calm down enough to think clearly. He turned and faced Mike, who still had him in an embrace. He buried his head in Mike’s chest and latched on as tight as he could, trying to ground himself to reality. He pawed at Mike’s back and arms, testing to see if he was there. “You’re alive? We’re here, at the arcade?”

“Yeah, I’m here with you. Always will be.” He began to rock a little, feeling Will sobbing into his shirt. A tear rolled down Mike’s cheek. He had been scared witless when he heard Will scream his name and immediately left the game and came straight to help him.

Max had arrived at the scene shortly after El. The skee-ball game was all the way at the back of the arcade and she was shocked to see El dashing full speed toward the front where Mike and Will were. El had been about halfway to them when Max heard Will’s screams above all the electronic noise . She started running that way as well, knowing El had felt what was going on before the outburst.

Will started to calm and his embrace started to relax. He was regaining his composure but still clung to Mike. He never wanted to let go.

The arcade manager came over to check to see what all the commotion was. Max cut him off before he got there, explaining to him that their friend just had a panic attack and that they were leaving. That seemed to satisfy him, and she came back to the group. “We probably need to get out of here. I stopped him, but he might call security if we don’t go.”

Mike eased up his hold a little and spoke quietly to Will, “Can you stand up and walk?”

Will nodded his head and let go with one arm, the other still firm around Mike’s midsection. His hand was in the exact same spot it was in when they took the picture a little while ago. Mike moved his arm around Will’s shoulders and pulled him close. El grabbed his other side and they started walking to the car. Max led the way, clearing a path and holding open doors.

This time Will sat in the back seat between Max and El, each of them holding one of his hands. They would be able to comfort him better like that. On the ride home, El informed them that they were having dinner with Joyce and Hop and wouldn’t be able to go out tonight. Mike was upset that he couldn’t stay with Will but was mostly ok, knowing that he would be staying over at his house the next few nights.

“Can you take us home first? I have to get him cleaned up and presentable before Mom sees him like this.” El knew he would also require another boost to get through dinner. Joyce was difficult to hide the effects of his visions from.

“Yeah, sure, of course I can.” Mike pulled out and drove quietly toward the Byers’ place.

About halfway to their home, Will started to sob, tears spilling from both eyes. The girls wrapped their arms around him and calmed him the best they could. Mike pulled up to the front porch and jumped back to open the door for them. “Thank God no one’s home. Mrs. Byers would freak out.”

“She cannot find out about this. Let’s get him inside.”

Mike grabbed him around the waist and helped him out of the car and to his room. Once there, he laid Will on the bed, so he could get some rest. He turned to walk out the door but was stopped when Will grabbed his wrist, “Mike,” he weakly whispered.

“Hey, man I’m here.” He sat down on the edge of the bed taking Will’s hand in his.

Will sat up and looked him in the eye, “I’m so sorry about that…at the arcade.” Tears of shame started running down his face.

“No, no Will don’t worry about that. Its ok, I’m here for you always. You know I understand.” Mike let go of his hand and pulled him into another hug, knowing physical contact was usually what helped Will the most.

“I know you are. I don’t deserve you guys. I’m like a broke toy.”

Mike squeezed harder and talked quietly into his ear, “We’re all broke toys. Broken together, right?" Mike chuckled at the inside joke they had shared for years, trying to ease his mood.

Will smiled slightly, fully aware of what Mike was referring to. He held onto Mike for several minutes until he stopped crying. El and Max walked in and Will broke their embrace. Without the warmth of Mike’s body against his he felt naked and exposed.

“I hate to end this, but you guys better go before Mom and Dad get here. It will make it easier.” El broke the bad news with a look of sympathy on her face.

“Ok, I’ll head out. It’s going to be tough spending Friday night alone. I guess I can clean house and get the pool ready for tomorrow. You guys can get there as early as you want to. You ready Max.”

They all exchanged goodbyes, with Mike lingering over Will a little longer. They soon made it to the car and Max and Mike pulled away, headed for home.

* * *

 

On the way to her house, Max talked about how she never got accustomed to Will’s episodes. But now instead of freaking her out it made her sad that he had to deal with them. Mike drove in silence, listening to her talk most of the way to her house. He would give a nod of acknowledgement or a monosyllable answer when she asked him a question. He was deep in thought, worrying about Will.

Once they made it to Max’s house Mike looked over at her, “You sure you can’t hang out tonight?” Mike knew he sounded needy, but he really did hate being alone.

“I wish I could. I need to at least let my mom see me some or she will try and stop me from hanging with you guys. How about we come over before lunch?”

“Yeah of course, the earlier the better. Come on to the backyard when you get there. I’ll see you then.”

She turned to walk away but stopped and caught him before he backed down the driveway. “You beat my high score.”

He had a perplexed look on his face, “Huh?”

“Ghosts and Goblins…you beat my high score before Will freaked out. I noticed it when we were leaving. I put your name into the top score slot before we left. P-A-L-A-D-N is now number one on Ghosts and Goblins,” she said spelling out the usual six letter abbreviated name he typed in when he got into the top scores. She smiled and started backing away from the car, so he could leave. “You’re a really good guy and great friend, Mike. Oh yeah….and that last outfit you put on earlier…damn boy! Smokin' hot!” She emphasized the last word with a wink and turned toward her house.

He was speechless at the words she spoke. With a big smile he drove away wondering how he could have ever not liked her.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 4 "The Dance We Do" will be posted sometime this weekend. Enjoy the holiday.  
> If you use Tumblr, my name on there is @thepragmaticrebel give me follow for more ST and other stuff I like
> 
> Thanks to my wonderful friends who helped me edit and fill in some plot holes that I left open originally. This chapter was rewritten and reposted on December 14th 2018. I hope you enjoyed it. Please leave more comments below if you like the story so far.


	4. The Dance We Do

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will's suffering comes to an end and secrets are revealed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy this chapter. I am very sorry for the delay but as I was posting it earlier in the week and decided to do a rewrite. Please leave comments below. I absloutely love hearing from you guys. i also have a tumblr that is alot of Byeler reblogs and some original stuff. I would love to hear from you there as well. I will link it in the end notes

Chapter 4: The Dance We Do

Mike was pulling out of the Hargrove’s driveway, on the way to spend a Friday night alone. He was happy with his conversation with Max but not happy about his Friday night situation. After driving a couple of miles, he started to get frustrated.

_How can someone have five best friends and be alone, especially on the Friday night of a summer holiday weekend?_

_I need new friends!_

The thought made him laugh out loud. Was it normal to be sarcastic with oneself? He could never imagine life without the other five. Well, four of them would be difficult to imagine, one would be impossible. He always liked to fantasize that he loved all his friends equally, who didn’t. He did love them all, would do anything for all five, but there was always the one. The one who was a like breath of fresh air when he walked into a room. The sense of relief that washed over you upon seeing him for the first time each day.

Thinking of Will amplified his frustration. His thoughts fell back to earlier in the afternoon. The episode in the arcade was the first one that he had witnessed in two years and it had shaken him up. His obsession with beating Max’s high score caused him to put all his focus on the video game. He remembers Will being on his side during most of the play. One minute there, feeling Will’s breath on his arm and the familiar smell of his cologne, the next minute gone to explore another part of the arcade but never straying too far.

Then the screaming came. The sound of Will’s terrified voice was stuck in his memory, the recall alone sent chills rippling through Mike’s core, goosebumps covering his neck and arms. It caused him to grip the steering wheel so hard that his knuckles turned white and clinch his teeth to the point that his whole mouth began to ache. The rest was a blur. His game was forgotten, and all his attention went straight to Will, whose eyes were wide and filled with panic, he seemed to be lost in another world. The whole situation had brought Mike right back to 1984 when Will had been possessed. He knew that what happened at the arcade had something to do with the shadow monster. It was too similar. What he didn’t understand was why it seemed directed at him. Will had called _his_ name, told _him_ to run that they were coming for… _him_. He had been terrified because something was coming for Mike. Not his family, not his other friends, but only Mike. The chill bumps s[rang up again with reinforcements.

He shook his head to try and clear it of these thoughts. He couldn’t dwell on it or it would drive him insane with worry.

Every part of him wanted, needed to be with Will.

 _Tomorrow… after tonight I get to be with him for three days_.

As it often happens when driving and deep in thought, Mike was surprised when he made the turn onto his street. His thoughts had consumed him to the point that he drove on autopilot, no memory of taking the turns and following the correct route home. He pulled his car under the carport. Being the only one home did have some advantages and not parking on the street was one.

He walked in the front door of the Wheeler house and tried to get his focus on things other than the one person he wanted to be with. All his friends were coming over tomorrow and he really needed to get the house ready for the party. Getting busy on cleaning and preparing for the rest of the weekend would help clear his mind.

The house was in a sorry state. When it came to cleanliness, Mike was the typical teenaged boy. The floor was littered with his dirty clothes, sink piled high with dishes and the bathroom was in a state that would cause his mother to go into a blind rage if she were to see it. He went to work scouring the house and after an hour or so, it was closer to normal. The washing machine was churning with its second load of clothes and the kitchen and bathrooms were halfway “Karen Wheeler” clean.

By the time he got done it was only half past seven. He plopped down in his dad’s recliner frustrated and bored. He reached for the TV remote and remembered that he was supposed to get the movies for tomorrow afternoon. In all the excitement dealing with Will’s episode he had forgotten to go to the video store. He checked his membership card for the store hours. They would be open until 10:00, so he had plenty of time to shower and go get the videos.

He ran upstairs, stripped off his clothes and jumped into the shower. After he finished bathing, he let the warm water run over his head and down his body. This was usually a time when he would think or relax and let the flow take his mind off anything he was worried about. This time was different. His thoughts centered on Will. A loop of his day was running through his thoughts and it was all about Will. His fresh showered look this morning when he walked into the Byers’ kitchen. Turning to see Will staring at him on the drive to The Post, locking on to his hazel green eyes. The brush of a finger on his ear and the way he leaned into him when he reached for the coffee cup. Will’s hand resting on Mike’s chest and that big beautiful smile on his face. How amazing he looked in the clothes he had been dressed in during El’s mini fashion show. Will’s warm touch on his side, fingers gently grasping right above his hip, obliterating the embarrassment of the last set of clothes.

That thought of Will touching the thin bare skin on his side sent a twinge of excitement shooting through him. He fell into the thought, remembering how he could feel each finger, and just a hint of lingering moisture when Will let go. He’d wanted that touch and closeness to continue. A memory of Will’s lips, thin and pink, popped into his thoughts. All he could imagine was leaning in, tasting him for the first time, wondering what it would feel like to kiss someone he’d known for so long. His heart beat faster and his chest was rising and falling with rapid breaths. The heat of arousal told him that it was something he was desperate for.

The logical side of his brain stormed in like a bucking bull, stomping out the fire and desire in those thoughts. His eyes flew open wide and he tried his best to push the thoughts out of his mind. He torqued the hot water knob off and let the cold water shock him back into reality. Any passion he felt washed down the drain with the frigid flow. Shame started to set in.

_I can’t keep thinking of him like that. Can’t lose him because my mind is screwed up._

The thoughts had been happening more often over the last few months. They had spent most of the last two weeks together and he couldn’t get enough. Will was his favorite person to be around and he didn’t want to risk losing his friend of twelve years due to some crazy fucked up thoughts. He turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. He was sure that the thoughts were just a phase and blamed them on his hormones. He knew it was a lie, what he felt for Will was real, but he hid it, stifling the thoughts because he feared what the others would think of him, what Will would think of him.

He walked to his room and got dressed, trying to put the shower behind him. It was frustrating for him to be going through this, he had grown accustomed to being in control of that part of his life. He hadn’t had any feelings like this for anyone since him and El split up. She was the first person he had ever had that desire for, but that relationship had been destined for failure from the start.

* * *

 

After the Snow Ball at the end of ’84, Hopper had taken El back into hiding. His doctor friend from Hawkins Lab had told him to keep her out of sight for at least another year. Hop was only able to contain her until that next summer. Mike had only been allowed to see her a couple of times during her hiding, and she had grown a great deal in those few months, emotionally, physically and psychically. The other party members had been allowed to visit as well. Not only for social reasons, but they brought with them school work and other lessons to help her adjust to society as a normal teenager. Hopper realized that he had to let her develop and grow, for her to better adapt.

During this time, she formed significant relationships with both Will and Max. They could see her a lot more often than the other boys, especially Mike. Hopper explained it off by saying that Max was teaching her how to act like a teenage girl and Will was there more often because the two of them had some sort of crazy connection with each other.

At first, he had been angry, maybe even a little jealous of Will being able to be with her. Then one day Will sat him down and explained that they had a connection because of the Upside Down and that he had zero romantic interest in her. At the time Will was with Jenn and Mike trusted his longtime friend, so his jealousy cooled and soon went away.

During that summer before they would all be going into the ninth grade, El finally became a full member of the party. She could start enjoying the real world. Going to the mall with Max and Nancy, hanging out with her friends, doing all the things “normal” girls of her age did.

There were a few times when it had been just her and Mike, but they were rare and always supervised. Hopper made it clear to both her and Mike that he thought a romantic relationship was a bad idea and not in either of their best interests. Mike had been immature and angry, lashing out at his parents and Hop for trying to keep them apart. He didn’t realize until later that they were all looking out for his well-being.

Not long after the start of his ninth-grade year he had begun to realize the truth. El was being overwhelmed and sometimes she even snapped. The Chief had been the target of her immature outbursts during the first year of her solitude. It was never as bad as her blowing the windows of the cabin out, but she would sometimes nudge her friends or slam doors from across the room when she got mad.

Mike also realized that he was not the sole focus of her attention anymore. During their first week together, she saw him as rescuer, teacher and provider. She had never been around other boys her age and his chivalrous actions caused the adolescent infatuation between them both. His feelings were compounded when she saved him from certain death at the quarry lake. This infatuation carried over through her year hiding in the cabin, until their reunion at the Byers’ home and dancing at the Snow Ball. After, when she could live a full social life, her attention spread to other people and other things, away from him.

  
It hurt when they decided to just be friends near the beginning of their ninth-grade year. It made sense for El because the relationship was a distraction to her growth. He was also building walls between him and the other party members because he was angry all the time that things with her weren’t like they were before.

It was simple, she didn’t need him anymore like she did when they first met. He realized he was the same as Eggos to her. When she escaped the lab and they found her, he provided her with Eggos because that was the food the Wheelers had. She loved the processed waffles because they were different than the meager amount of bland food that the lab provided. Once she realized there was a huge assortment of foods available, Eggos were no longer as important to her. It was kind of the same with him. There were now a lot of people who loved her and paid attention to her. Her feelings were spread out among all of them. Once he accepted that it wasn’t his fault or something he did, they became friends and began growing a healthy relationship. Now, he couldn’t imagine her as anything other than a best friend. He loved and needed her just like he needed the others. He talked to her about things that he didn’t share with the rest of them. She was a good listener and he turned to her whenever he needed to talk about sensitive and private issues.

He often wondered if he would ever fall for someone else. He had brief interest in a few girls, but nothing ever happened. A couple of awkward dances at homecoming and a bad date with one of Dustin’s friends from drama club were the only interactions he had over the last three years. The six of them were impossibly close so they didn’t really need to look for that intimacy with someone else. The stuff they had been through made it difficult for others to break into their small group. He decided to just go with the flow and concentrate on being the best friend he could be to all of them.

* * *

 

During his thoughts of the past he had finished getting ready and made his way back out to his car. He popped in one of Will’s mix tapes, drove to the video store and picked up the movies that they had chosen earlier. He chose a few extra in case they needed something else to watch over the next days.

He decided to grab some fast food from Dairy Queen, which was downtown. Ever since the mall opened, the venerable part of Hawkins was a ghost town on Friday nights. He pulled into a parking spot on the square to eat his food. This part of town had changed over the years and it wasn’t long that before he realized he was parked across from the antique store that now occupied the space where Melvald’s General Store had once operated for fifty years. The shop was one of the first victims of the mall, closing its doors for good in 1985, due to lack of business.

His mind had been on Will ever since he left his house and eating here next to Mrs. Byers’ former workplace made him miss him even more. He took a long look at the passenger seat. Normally, Will would have been with him, sitting in that spot chattering on about something he loved, while having a burger and shake with him. Now that he wasn’t here, Mike realized that he sometimes took the friendship for granted. He needed Will. He wanted to be with him now. It made it worse because he knew he couldn’t be with him until tomorrow, which couldn’t come soon enough for Mike. He checked his watch, shit, only 9:00. There was still a lot of night to be bored and alone.

As he finished his food, his thoughts rolled back to that afternoon at the Byers' house. Will was crying when Mike pulled away. The episode in the arcade had set everyone on edge and Mike was a fierce guardian at his core, who always sought to comfort and protect his loved ones. That's when he decided that he needed to see Will. He had to see him at that moment, no matter what anyone else said. He backed out of the parking space and drove the familiar road to the Byers’ house. He parked on the dirt drive before you turned down their long driveway. That way if something unforeseen happened, he could avoid being detected and bail out of there without being seen.

He jumped out of the car an hiked the rest of the way to the old house. He wasn’t sure who might be there or what they were doing, but his mind was set on seeing Will. The window to his room was always unlocked and he had taken advantage of that fact before. If he had to sneak in that way, then he would. Will had never been unhappy to see him crawl through it before and he was sure he wouldn’t be this time either.

He made his way down the dirt driveway and reached his destination. He could see the front of the Byers’ house; all the windows were wide open exposing the dimly lit interior. Oddly, not a single car was parked in the driveway or yard. He briefly wondered if he had come all this way only to find an empty house with no one home. Not long after he walked down the driveway, he saw movement in the front window and heard music coming from the living room. He was not prepared for what he was about to see.

* * *

 

The first time Will truly met El was in January of 1985. All he had known of her before that were tales of her magnificent abilities and seeing the quiet introverted girl dance with Mike at the Snow Ball. He didn’t remember the brief interaction he had with El in the void and was unconscious every other time.

The day Joyce had brought Will to Hopper’s cabin marked a life change for the pair. When they arrived at the cabin, Hopper was waiting on the front porch, nervous and smoking his fifth cigarette in a row. Joyce was also wringing her hands with apprehension on the walk up and was only somewhat relieved when she joined her longtime friend for a smoke. Somehow the two adults seemed to know that this would be no ordinary reunion.

After Will walked inside, no words were spoken. The two teens just looked at each other, studying the other person in front of them. Will eventually held out his hand and El mimicked his actions. When their hands met, and fingers entwined for the first time, a seismic shift took place inside them both. It was not the first time they had touched, but it was the first time when both were fully present in the same reality. They both flashed back to when El was with him in the dark and evil version of Castle Byers, touching her sparked the memory in Will, what was forgotten he now remembered in detail. She seemed to be the only person who had the power to bridge the two realities and this only happened when she opened her mind to its full power.

El had a theory that they were connected because of her touching him in the in-between void. Every other normal person she tried to touch while there dissolved into smoke and she could never physically touch them. Will was the exception. She had been able to hold his arm and hand for several moments before he dissolved. She had touched two others while there, but both her mother and the Demogorgon had psychic powers and the contact with each of them was only for a split second. To her, this meant that Will had to be different, special, more like her than regular people. Regardless of theory and speculation, the pair had a unique and special bond. They were inseparable from that meeting forward.

During the years after the gate to the Upside Down was closed, the two of them had regular visits with Dr. Owens, former director of Hawkins Lab. He couldn’t explain the strong connection between the pair. The only comparison he could make was to that of identical twins. He had measured and studied their brain activity while separate and together. They seemed to be linked. He could put them on opposite ends of the building and place one of them under stress. The other, even though far apart, would show signs of the discomfort the other was undergoing. Dr. Owens could have studied and tested the two for years and never understood what connected them. In all his experience, never had he witnessed two humans with a symbiosis like they shared.

Hopper and Joyce didn’t allow the testing to continue for long. Dr. Owens was a decent enough person, but he was an obsessed scientist and would have gone too far if he’d been allowed. They let Will and El discover and grow together over the next year. After her and Hopper moved into the Byers’ home she would often end up in bed with Will before the dawn broke, even though she had her own room. They behaved like natural born brother and sister and always comforted each other through bad dreams and nightmares.

Will helped her understand the social behavior of regular teenagers, even though he wasn’t exactly on the top of the popularity pyramid. He also helped catch her up on school subjects. She would probably never be caught up in subjects like history and English, but science and math came naturally to her and she excelled at them. Will pushed her, explaining things to her so she would understand. She was a sponge and soaked up all the knowledge they provided and learned at an exponential pace. By the start of high school, they all thought she was ready to start the regular grind of a teenager’s life, so Hopper enrolled his daughter at Hawkins High.

El also became a teacher to Will. She taught him how to block out most of the effects of the possession, and how to overcome the damage done by the shadow monster. The visions and bad thoughts still crept through from time to time no matter how much she helped him, but over time the visions had almost ceased to exist. The only issue now was the severity was worse when they did happen. Will would be paralyzed, having no choice but to relive the horror. She could feel the pain it caused him and could only comfort him while it happened and help him forget it after. He looked forward to the day when they figured out how to get rid of them for good.

The episode the previous night and at the arcade had been the worst in a long time.

* * *

 

Mike walked through the open yard in front of the Byers’ house, staying clear of any lights so he could figure out the best time to get in to see Will. The front windows had no curtains and he could see most of the living room as he approached. It felt so wrong to sneak up on a house that he was always welcome at, but El had made it clear that they couldn’t be with him tonight due to family stuff and he didn't want anyone but Will to see him. It was odd to him that no cars were here, which meant no Joyce or Hopper. Jonathan was with Nancy in Indianapolis. He looked through the front window and saw Will and El sitting on the living room sofa, talking. He was shocked when Max walked in from the kitchen and joined them. He felt betrayed and hurt that they had gotten together without him.

In the past that hurt would’ve turned to anger and he would have lashed out, but Mike had grown as a person. However, this hurt was deep. He felt lied to and they never lied to each other. There had to be a good reason for the deception so he decided to watch what was going on from a distance and see if he could figure out why they had left him out.

They didn’t seem to be doing anything out of the ordinary. Max went over and slipped a cassette into the big stereo the Byers kept in the living room. Mike was terrible with most music, but he recognized the Beatles. Max came over and grabbed Will by the hand and he reluctantly got up and started dancing with her. He was tentative at first, barely moving as Max danced around prodding him to join in. He soon started moving around and really dancing with her over the course of the next few songs. Will was happy, his big smile coming out for the first time today. That smile was contagious, causing Mike to break into a grin, too. He may have had his feelings hurt but seeing Will that happy made his heart swell.

El had been watching, still sitting on the sofa. On the fourth song or so she finally joined in and they all started dancing together. Mike recognized the funky pop sound of The Talking Head’s “Wild, Wild Life”. The three of them were moving together as one, as if they knew where the others would be all the time.

They were listening to one of Will’s mixes. It not only had the Beatles and Talking Heads, but Mike was able to pick out several others that were Will’s favorites. The Cure and Bowie were among them.

After a few songs Will closed his eyes and seemed to surrender to the dance. Mike thought the way he moved was graceful and organic. He wanted to be in there with them, even if he was a terrible dancer. He tried to learn and be better, but his long skinny limbs made graceful movement difficult. Will’s body was perfectly proportioned, and he had more rhythm than Mike had realized. It was mesmerizing, just watching him move.

After a just a few songs the music started to slow. Mike recognized one as the only love song that the Talking Heads had ever done. He only remembered it because Will had explained to him that the band didn’t do love songs and that it was the one exception. It still had a funky beat but was more subdued than the previous songs. Their dancing slowed as well. Eventually Max slipped out of his sight and it was only Will and El.

Some popular slow dance songs followed. The kind of song everyone waited to dance to at the school events. The two of them merged together in a more intimate way. At first, they were talking quietly and then they danced closer, head to head. It wasn’t like when Will danced with Jennifer, stiff and uncomfortable. It was more sensual, body to body, moving with the slow rhythm of the ballad. She placed one hand on his face and looked deep into his eyes. Her focus on him seemed intense, like the strained look she wore when using her telekinesis or other abilities. Not long after, he noticed changes in Will. His eyes were closed, and it almost looked like he was asleep on his feet. He was absorbed in the dance and holding on to El as tight as he could.

The music faded, the next song was one of Mike’s personal favorites, "Atmosphere" by Joy Division. Will had introduced him to the slow, beat driven music right after he and El had split up. He remembered Will telling him that it had to be heard in headphones while slipping them over Mike’s ears. Will sat and watched him listen to the song with that contagious smile on his face and was so happy when Mike told him he loved it. The song became their go to music when either of them had a bad day. Will even went to RadioShack and bought a headphone splitter so they both could listen to it that way together. It wasn’t really a song you danced to, but it was something he thought only the two of them shared. It stung that they were dancing to this song.

The couple shifted. El moved her hands down to Will’s hips. He in turn wrapped his arms around her neck. His expression was peaceful and serene. It was as if El had taken over guiding Will the way he had been leading her earlier. He surrendered to her lead, completely in tune with her.

Mike’s brow was furrowed in deep concentration watching their dance. He wasn’t angry anymore, he was confused and felt another primal emotion swell up...jealousy. What surprised him the most was that it wasn’t directed at Will who was pressed up against the girl he was once in love with. He was jealous of her. He let himself imagine what it would be like to dance with Will like that. To hold him close and look deep into his eyes while wrapped in his embrace. The music had him at a point where there were no inhibitions, no boundaries on where he allowed his thoughts to travel. He desired Will, and he desperately wanted to be in there holding him, moving with him like that.

Mike found himself thinking of Will’s eyes in the car that morning. He seemed to have a different expression in them there and at the office when he was plucking the pens out from behind his ears. He thought about the way Will clung to him earlier that afternoon. Their embrace lasted more than ten minutes, just holding each other while sitting on his bed. He wondered briefly if Will could ever feel the same about him. He wondered if….

The lights in the living room flickered and brightened, breaking him out of the thought. The two of them embraced closer, still moving as if they were one body. She placed one hand on his face again and pulled Will closer to her. His lips parted, and she moved in, joining him in a passionate kiss. Soft and tentative, they explored each other carefully. It was one of the most loving kisses Mike had ever witnessed. Will moved his hand to run his fingers through El’s honey brown hair. It was so gentle and kind. The lights in the room seemed to brighten even more. He was accustomed to the light getting brighter or flashing when El was focusing her mind. It was weird that it was happening now. Why would she be using her abilities while they were dancing, while they were _kissing_. He thought, just before the lights brightened, that he saw a weird aura around the two of them, almost like the shimmer in the air you could see off in the distance on a hot summer day.

As the song ended, the lights dimmed back to normal and she separated herself from him. Will’s eyes were still closed, and he seemed to be leaning against her with all his weight. El then eased him down to the couch, cradling his head and back, laying him down like a mother putting her small child in bed.

El stumbled a bit when she stood up. Max swooped in out of nowhere and grabbed her arm and side in support. Max lifted El up and led her out of the living room, toward the bedrooms. While she was gone, Mike eased his way closer to the window to get a better look at Will. He got close enough to see that he was wearing a look of pure peace and serenity and was already in a deep sleep. The corners of his mouth were turned up in a slight smile. His soft brown hair was tousled and sweaty from the dancing. Mike wanted nothing more than to go in there and just lay on the floor by Will’s side.

About that time Max came back into the living room, carrying a pillow and blanket from Will’s bed. She went over to him, gently lifted his head and placed the pillow under it. She removed his shoes and socks then straightened his legs out down the length of the old comfortable sofa. She covered him with a light blue blanket and then turned all the lights off. The only light left burning in the Byers’ house was a small nightlight in the hallway.

Max returned the direction she had taken El, he assumed she was also going to bed. He walked quietly up to the front door and tried turning the knob, it was locked. A look of disappointment flashed across his face. He started turning to walk back to his car but wanted one last look at Will. He wasn’t sure what he was feeling, numb would be the best description. The kiss had been so sweet and genuine that he couldn’t be mad. But his best friend had just kissed his ex-girlfriend. The jealousy was real. The lights flaring and the fact that Will was asleep right after made him think there was something more to it than just dancing and a kiss. He had lots of questions.

He stepped backwards off the porch and turned to go get his car and head home to try and sort his feelings out. A huge shot of adrenaline surged into his system as he met Max’s eyes in the dim light.

“MIKE! What the hell are you doing here?!”

His heart was beating a thousand times a minute while he tried to figure out a way to explain himself.

* * *

 

Mike’s eyes were wide and darting back and forth. His fight or flight reflex kicked in full force and his first thought was to run. Run as fast as he could straight to his car and pretend like this had never happened. The problem, and major obstacle to this plan, was the tiny redhead standing between him and his car who could also run faster than him.

As his mind cleared and he came to his senses, he spoke, “Max…I…I…I was coming to see Will…I…I didn’t see anything!” He panicked and lied because his mind and voice wouldn’t cooperate.

“Whoa dude, take it down a notch, it’s me not Hopper. Calm down and let’s talk.” She grabbed his hand and led him to the swing on the Byers’ front porch. It was a dead silent summer night and it felt like every word they spoke could be heard for miles

“Here? Shouldn’t we go somewhere else? I don’t want to wake anyone up.” He had calmed a little more and was thinking a little clearer.

“Those two?” she gave a short huff, “You don’t have to worry about them waking up anytime soon. They will both be out the rest of the night. Nothing short of a bomb is waking them up.”

He thought about what she said for a minute, “What do you mean? Will is a light sleeper, a bug running across the floor wakes him up.”

“Not tonight. Trust me,” She stated bluntly and then sat down patting the swing beside her, indicating she wanted him to do the same. “You want to ask the first question, or do you want to answer mine first? The truth this time.”

“I was coming to see Will, that part’s the truth. Then when I walked up. I saw…” he hesitated not knowing where to go from there.

“You saw…what? When did you get here?”

“A little after nine,” He looked at his watch again, “Holy shit, It’s only 10:30! I thought I had been here for hours!”

“Well, being a stalker makes time go by slower. Didn’t you know that?” The big smile let him know she was kidding. After easing the tension between them she went back to the conversation, “So, you saw…almost everything.”

“I don’t know what I saw, Max. I’m so confused right now.”

She knew from experience how he was feeling right now. He saw something he didn’t need to see, and now she had to try and help him understand. “Let me say this first, just listen and try not to react then I’ll answer any question I can.” She straightened and looked him in the eye, “What you saw wasn’t meant for your eyes. I know it’s confusing, it was to me the first few times…”

“What! Few times? How often does this happen?” His excitement flared back up.

“Michael Wheeler, listen to me and try not to interrupt.” She repeated, “Let me FINISH and then you can ask me questions. Deal?”

He started to roll his eyes, then thought better of it, “Ok, deal. I’m sorry.” He looked into her eyes, surrendering his full attention.

“Like I said, it’s confusing to us ‘normals’. The first time it happened, Mrs. Byers found them passed out in the floor and freaked out. She interrogated them both, wanting to know what was going on. She kind of went crazy. I mean, you know how she is, I don’t need to tell you. After that drama, El knew that they couldn’t be found like that again. That’s where I come in. I’m here to make sure they are taken care of after. Plus, we all like dancing together like that. The dancing makes Will happy. I don’t know why, but it works better when he’s happy. The most I can tell you about the other stuff is sketchy at best. It’s about her helping him to clear his head after bad episodes. They don’t happen often anymore, but when they do, they are bad. The arcade today was only, like, an aftershock. Will had a long, really bad flashback last night. El wasn’t here to help him stop it early so it was the worst one yet.”

Mike sat there, processing everything she said. He now had a thousand questions flitting through his mind. He looked back at her, so she continued, “They learned that she could help him not long after they met. Because of her and what she does, Will can be happier and function like he is supposed to. She calls it the ‘Dance we Do’. Until now, only the three of us knew about it. Will didn’t want anyone else knowing because he’s so worried that people will think he’s fragile and broken again. He has learned how to cope with it well but needs us to treat him as normal as possible.”

  
She could tell Mike was chomping at the bit to ask some things, but she wanted to make one thing clear. “Look, I know you feel lied to about tonight. They knew it was going to be tough getting you to go home, especially since you are there alone. I don’t think El even remotely thought you would come back, so neither of them has any clue you were here. I wouldn’t know if I hadn’t decided to use the back door and walk around. They did have dinner with Hop and Ms. Byers. They left about twenty minutes before you got here, something about a night away for just them at the cabin. So, technically no one lied. I got here right before they left, after spending some time with my mom. I also have to be home by midnight so I’m going to need a ride when we are done.”

“Of course, you can have a ride, Max.” He spoke just above a whisper as he was still trying to process what she had just told him. It all made sense, but there were some definite gaps that he wanted filled. Only problem was that he didn’t know if she knew all the answers. Question after question popped into his brain. He was having trouble keeping his thoughts straight.

She was smiling at him when he finally looked up from his internal monologue. “Are you ok?”

Several seconds passed before he answered, “I think so,” He paused again, “Yeah, I am, but I don’t know where to start.”

He decided that he should start easy and work up to the question he wanted to ask the most, “So, how often does this happen? The episodes?”

“This is the around the tenth time in three years that I’ve helped them. This is the worst one I’ve seen him go through. Evidently, he completely fell apart today after we left, El said he almost didn’t make it through dinner.”

“I’ve always thought it was just bad dreams and sleepless nights. This is worse than just a nightmare then?” Mike was concerned.

“Yes,” Her tone was more somber now. “It’s more than dreams, he relives being possessed by the shadow monster, kind of goes through it again. Not sure if anyone but him can understand how bad it is. Maybe El.”

“How does she help him, that doesn’t seem like the other stuff she can do?”

“That was one of the first questions I asked her. She says she doesn’t do it herself, she just helps him. I have no clue what that means. Maybe you can ask her when you talk.”

He got a confused look on his face. “What do you mean WHEN we talk?”

“C’mon Mike, you know her as well as any of us. She’s going to know you were here the second she looks into your eyes…or mine.”

He wasn’t sure how that talk would go. They were close, but if she was upset it could be bad.

Mike stood up, trying to focus, and walked over to the double window and looked in. Will hadn’t moved at all, deep in sleep, his chest rising and falling with slow even breathing. That look of serenity was still on his face. Mike tapped one finger on the window just hard enough for his fingernail to click against the glass. The adrenaline from being caught had worn off. Looking at Will brought back images of the dance and all the emotion he felt while watching it came pouring back in.

“I’ve never seen him dance like that before.” His voice quiet and peaceful, mimicking Will’s expression.

Something about the way he spoke caught her attention. “What did you say?”

He looked at her, “When you guys were dancing, I’ve never seen him move like that before. It was….”

_Beautiful_

He couldn’t say the word out loud.

“He loves it.” She was now watching him through narrowed eyes, studying him as he looked back into the living room. “It makes him really happy.” A memory flashed into her mind of all of them in the school library, Will laughing out loud at something Mike said. Him laughing like that was rare.

His finger rested on the glass, “And the kiss?” it was almost a whisper, a brief look of pain flashed across his face.

There it was. She knew it was the question he wanted to ask first, the one that was worrying him. Max didn’t have an answer for this one. “I don’t know, that’s only the second time it’s happened.” She was trying to figure out what was going on in his head, wondering several different things at once. At first, she thought his feelings for El might have returned, and he was jealous of her kissing Will. Something was making her doubt that now. This was about something else. Her intuition was buzzing but the translation wasn't there quite yet.

Mike nodded, knowing she was telling the truth. He added, “It was our favorite song that was playing,” still speaking in a quiet, slow voice.

“What?” Her voice had grown quiet too. His somber mood had infected her, and she was still trying to put her finger on his feelings.

“The song that was playing when they kissed, it’s my favorite. Will knows that it is.” A single tear fell down his cheek, he turned so she didn’t see it.

Realization set in. Her mouth opened, lips forming a small surprised "o" and her eyes widened as it all came together in her head. He came to see Will, his questions were all about Will, his unfinished comment about Will’s dancing, the way he was watching Will now. She had to force herself to say something so not to betray the fact that she now knew his secret.

“Oh, Mike, I’m sure it was just coincidence.” She walked over and put her arm around him. She could see the other unshed tears heavy in his eyes. If he blinked, they would fall like rain. She didn’t know what to do or say, so she stood there and held him tight with her head on his shoulder, not saying a word.

They stayed like that for a few minutes. She wondered if he even realized the feelings he had revealed in their conversation. She was guessing he didn’t, because Mike would freak out if he knew what she figured out.

She soon dared to break the silence. “Are you ok?”

He wiped a hand across his eyes and pulled in a deep, stuttering breath, the kind that always follows heavy emotion, “Yeah.” There was no one word to describe how he was feeling about what he saw tonight. He wasn’t angry. He wasn’t feeling lied to anymore since she had explained why they left him out. As he tried to piece together his feelings, he understood why El didn’t want him there. She didn’t leave him out for their benefit, she did it for him, so he wouldn’t be like…this. He didn’t want to leave but knew there was no point in staying here if Will was resting peacefully. His needs were all that mattered to Mike.

“Are you ready to go?” Mike asked her hoping she wasn’t.

“We can head that way, I’m guessing your car isn’t close.”

He chuckled, “No, it’s all the way out at the road. I thought El or Hopper might see me, so I played it safe.”

“If she hadn’t been focused on Will then she would have known you were here, but I can always appreciate the thinking of a good stalker.”

He chuckled at her sideways reference to Lucas and then turned to walk down the driveway with her. She linked arms with him like she always did when it was just the two of them.

About halfway down the driveway she broke their silence, “Are you going to be able to act normal tomorrow?”

He thought for a moment, “Yes, but I'm not going to lie, it’ll be weird and may take me some time to get used to them, but I’ll make sure I act as normal as possible.”

That wasn’t the answer she was expecting at all. “Get used to them?” she repeated. “What are you talking about?”

“Will and El, you know…together.”

She stopped and pulled him around to face her. It was almost too dark, but he could see she was upset. “What? Wait, is that what you think, that they are together?”

“It’s got to be something like that, doesn’t it? That kiss was not just friendly or a brother and sister thing.”

She stopped them and turned him to face her, “Did you not hear anything I said back there?”

“You said that you didn’t know about the kiss, I assumed…”

“No, Mike, you completely missed my point.” she interrupted him as she grabbed both of his shoulders, “Listen to me, it’s about taking Will’s mind off the bad stuff and making him happy. I need you to listen and trust me on this. Will and El are not like that, they are like brother and sister for real. Usually when it gets that far in, he doesn’t even remember what happens anyway. Look, it’s important that you act normal tomorrow, especially for Will. Just remember he will be in a great mood and doesn’t need to know you saw any of this. Your feelings and opinion matter the most to him. Can you do that?”

Her angry and stern tone convinced him, Max wasn’t one to mince words or hold back her feelings. He trusted her, especially when she was being motherly.

“Yes, I can do that. I believe you Max. I told you I was just confused. After some sleep I’ll be fine, everything will be fine.”

“I hope so Mike,” she rotated back to his side, “They aren’t together like that and never will be. They would find that…weird. I’ll just let her explain it.”

He only nodded in response, finding relief in her explanation.

They reached the car and Max swung into the passenger seat, moving the bag of movies he had picked out. She opened it to see what all it contained,  _The Lost Boys, Evil Dead 2, The Princess Bride, Good Morning Vietnam, Lethal Weapon and Beverly Hills Cop 2._

“Nice choices dude, but why so many?”

“Well, I thought since Will, Dustin and Lucas would be staying over the next few nights that it would be good to have a big selection.”

“Cool, way to think ahead.” He turned the car around and started driving toward her house. He had one hand on the wheel and the other draped on the center armrest. She scooted over in the oversize seat and laid her hand on his forearm. He was accustomed to her being that way. Her and Will were the most affectionate members of the group.

They rode in comfortable silence most of the way. She thought it best to let him sort out his feelings and not confuse the situation with more talk. He pulled into her driveway and she got out and walked over to his window.

“You sure you’re ok, and understand enough not to be weird tomorrow?”

“Yeah, I’ll be good, promise.”

“I love you Mike, see you in the morning.”

“Love you too, Max. Goodnight.”

She watched him back out of the driveway and pull off toward his house for the second time that day. Only now her mind and emotions were in a different place. She couldn’t help but smile in disbelief at the surprising turn of events this evening had taken. She loved Mike like a brother and wanted him to be happy, so she would have to be careful that she didn’t reveal Mike’s secret to anyone who might not understand. She was so overjoyed to be the first to know such an astonishing thing…

Michael Wheeler was in love with Will Byers! 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There you go, Mike's feelings revealed! Thank you for reading. Next chapter will be a lot of fun and the boys will realize that they might be more than just regular best friends. Lucas and Dustin finally get into the story , too. I promise to post it soon. Please leave me some comments. Follow me and feel free to message me on tumblr too. @thepragmaticrebel


	5. Parallels and a Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Today is a new day for Will, he is finally free of suffering. Mike moves into new, unknown territory, it may change him forever. The Party is finally all back together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the next installment. I hope you all really enjoy it. This is actually three chapters in one. I hope you don't mind a long read. As always, please, please, please leave some comments at the end. I love them so much!
> 
> This chapter was edited rewritten and uploaded again on Dec. 18 2018
> 
> The story is the same only cleaned up and edited by my dear friend, Daphne.
> 
> Give me a follow on tumblr @thepragmaticrebel

**Parallels and a Party**

  
**July 2nd, 1988**

 

Will

  
The ancient window mounted air conditioner kicked on with a loud electronic buzz and vibrating rumble in the living room of the Byers’ home. The sound broke the silence of the small country house and was followed by the whoosh of frigid air flowing out of its vent. Hopper had brought the monstrous thing there one day near the beginning of summer and installed it in one the living room windows. The Byers never had air conditioning before, they opened windows and used fans to cool off on the hot days. This summer had been oppressive with temperatures reaching 100 degrees on many days, so Joyce consented to it if Hop helped her pay the higher power bill that accompanied such luxuries. Hot natured Hopper placed it so it blew straight at him when he sat or napped on the living room sofa each sweltering evening.

This morning, however, the frosty air blew down onto the thin slumbering body of Will Byers. Still mostly asleep, he wrapped the blue flannel blanket around his shoulders and face, but now that the top part of his body was covered, his feet and lower legs came out from under the warm blanket. He wasn’t sure which part of him being exposed was worse. He pulled his knees into his chest trying to stay warm and sleep just a little longer, but the damage was done. He came out of his deep peaceful hibernation, realizing where he was after a few moments, wondering why he wasn’t in his own bedroom where there wasn’t a horrible cold producing machine like there was here.

He groaned, and for a moment regretting growing taller. Just a couple of years earlier he would have been swallowed whole by the blanket that couldn’t cover him all the way now. After a few minutes of trying, he succumbed to the fact that this morning’s sleep in was over. He rolled his bare feet off the sofa and sat up. The old cuckoo clock his mom stubbornly kept on the living room wall said it was 7:30 in the morning.

_Nine hours, almost a personal record_.

Once the first fog of waking up cleared, he began to realize how wonderful he felt. All the heaviness from yesterday was gone, his shoulders, neck and back were loose and comfortable. His head was clear, rid of the oppressive darkness of the visions. He stood up and shook out his arms and cracked his neck and back. This behavior would have drawn a sharp rebuke from his mother on most days, something about causing arthritis one day if he kept doing it, but she wasn’t here to nag.

As he went through a full system check on his body, he began to get an uncomfortable feeling down below his gut, he had to pee…bad. He ran to the bathroom and let go a monster flood, in awe that all that had been contained in his bladder. After, he washed his hands and stepped back into the hallway moving toward the kitchen. Almost by habit he filled the coffee pot with water and dumped it into the machine along with four scoops of the freshly ground coffee that Jonathan had brought home with him. He didn’t need it to get him going this day, but it was habit and he had grown to love the morning ritual.

He tapped his fingers on the kitchen counter as if waiting on something and Mike popped into his head. He knew they were all supposed to go over later, but he found himself wanting to go over there early and spend some time with him. He walked over to the phone and started to dial the number, his fingers moved fast across the keep pad, almost dialing the familiar digits with muscle memory. He stopped halfway through and dropped the phone back on its cradle, disconnecting the line.

He was in a good mood, so he made his way to his bedroom and grabbed his old supercomm radio. He clicked it on, tuning it to the channel him and Mike used for their personal talk. Mike was an early riser, so Will knew he would probably be up already.

“Mike, come in, it’s Will.” He was smiling, it felt so good to use the old device again. They didn’t use them often, so he doubted the other boy even had his turned on, but it was worth a try.

After a few moments passed he started to set the old radio down, thinking Mike wouldn't answer, then a tiny burst of static followed by his voice came through,

“ _Will, I’m here! Is everything ok! Over!”_

He sounded hurried and out of breath, maybe a little scared, Will couldn’t place the emotion. “Yeah, everything’s fine. I just thought it would be cool to call you on here. I’m surprised you had it on. Sorry for scaring you…over.”

_“I had it on in case anyone else called about the party today. I was just excited when I heard your v…when I heard it and ran downstairs to answer. What’s up? Over_ ”

Will smiled, “I was wondering if maybe I could come over early? You know, if you weren’t busy. Over.”

_“Yeah! Yeah, of course. I need to go get some groceries anyway, want me to pick you up? Over.”_

“Sure, how about in thirty minutes or so? Over.”

_“Sounds good. See you soon. Over and out.”_

Will, now excited about the day, set the large radio back on his night stand and got his stuff together for a shower. As he walked past Jonathan’s room, he remembered that El and Max were probably still in there sleeping. He peeked through the cracked door and saw only his sister. The last thing he remembers is dancing with both girls then nothing until he woke up this morning. Guessing Max decided to go home last night, he proceeded to check on El. She was still sound asleep. He couldn’t help but feel a guilty when he saw she had a small line of dried blood under her nose, and a tiny drop staining her pillow. He knew that her using her powers to help him last night had caused the nose bleed. He always hated to see that side effect, because anything that caused bleeding like that couldn’t be good for her long term. He always felt ashamed when it happened because of him.

He grabbed a pen and paper from her nightstand and scribbled her a quick note, so she wouldn’t worry when she woke up.

_Gone with Mike. I’ll see you over there later._

_Love you,_

_Will_

He placed it by the clock, so she wouldn’t miss it when she woke up. He went to bathroom and stripped off the clothes he had been wearing for 24 hours and jumped in the shower. He took care of washing his body and hair, knowing he didn’t have much time before Mike got there. After toweling off, he went through his morning routine except he didn’t dry his hair. It was hot already and the windows rolled down in Mike’s car would feel amazing with damp hair.

He looked in the mirror, pleased with his appearance this time, then scooted over to his room and got dressed. Blue and white gym shorts with a matching blue t-shirt. He decided to just go with flip flops since it was going to be a casual pool day. At the last second, he snagged the blue and white Indianapolis Colts hat off his bedpost. His dad had sent it to him last year on his birthday. He had no relationship with his dad and didn't watch football, but it matched what he was wearing, so he went with it. He grabbed his book bag and emptied all the work-related contents on his bed. He quickly threw some clothes and stuff in it. He would be staying at Mike’s for a few days and needed at least the basics.

He moved into the kitchen and poured coffee into two Styrofoam cups and put just a little sugar and half and half in one, and more of each into the cup he was taking to Mike. On most days he just drank it black, but the added flavor seemed like the way to go today.

He missed Jonathan being here to make a hot breakfast, so he improvised with a quick piece of toast and some left-over bacon from yesterday morning. He folded it into a half sandwich and scarfed it down. About that time, he heard the grumbling engine of the Blue Hulk followed by the squeal of brakes and crunching gravel. He grabbed his book bag and the two coffee cups and walked out the front door, going as fast as he could but being careful not to cover himself with steaming hot liquid.

* * *

 

Mike

A little after one in the morning, Mike had fallen asleep in his dad’s recliner with the TV on. When he arrived home, his mind was running in lots of different directions, which caused him to have a hard time getting to sleep. He settled for turning the TV onto the one of the local stations that was only playing M.A.S.H. reruns at this time of night.

His thoughts had been on Will the whole time. He kept telling himself to trust Max, and not worry about that kiss. It had been so sweet and tender, so real, he was having a tough time just accepting it like she asked him to.

After an hour or so of running through scenarios in his head and somewhat boring TV, he lapsed into a state of restless sleep. His dreams rotated from Will’s eyes in a terrified panic at the arcade to those same hazel greens locking with his that morning in the car. Will and El dancing around clouds filled with yellow and pink light was one of the most peculiar. That strange shimmering aura that surrounded them last night was all around them again. Sometime during the dream, it became him and Will dancing, swinging around playfully at first and then holding on to one another in the greatest slow dance ever. Will running his fingers through Mike’s short hair, playing with his ears, then reaching out to take hold of his shirt and pulling him down into a kiss. Just as their lips were about to meet an annoying, loud, continuous buzz filled the dream. It was soon followed by equally annoying loud pulsing that distracted them both. The awful sound pulled his attention away from what he longed for so badly. The noise continued, and the dream dissolved in front of him, giving way to reality.

He was lying flat on his back and it took a few moments to orient himself. He realized the horrible noise was coming from the TV.

_Stupid, fucking emergency broadcast signal!_

He covered his face with the little pillow he had been using and screamed, wishing he could just go back into the dream for a few minutes. Another part of him also, wanted to be back in the dream as he realized that it was pushing hard against the material of his boxers. Even though no one was there to see, he blushed and rolled over on his side to conceal his arousal. With him lying flat on his back, it would have been difficult for anyone walking in to miss.

_Thank god no one was here to see that! I have a serious problem. Control yourself Michael._

Every morning at 7:30 the station he had been watching came back on the air with a test of the Emergency Broadcast System. It happened like clockwork and sounded worse than any alarm clock that ever existed. This is what had ripped him from the pleasant dream, and he knew that he would never be able to recover that moment if he went back to sleep. He cursed the TV, sat up, and closed the reclining portion of the chair. His back screamed at him in pain after sleeping on the uneven contours. His earlier state had gone away, so he went to the bathroom to take care of the other problem facing him this morning. He had to pee.

After, he went over to the kitchen and poured himself a glass of milk. He opened the cabinets searching for food and could only come up with a pack of strawberry pop-tarts. He scarfed down the overly sweet pastries and started to step upstairs to take a shower. He had to find time to today to get to the grocery store and buy some real food.

The door to the basement stayed open most of the time, especially when he was there alone. He faintly heard the burst of static from his old supercomm, which he had plugged in on an end table next to the old couch.

“ _Mike, come in, it’s Will.”_

He turned and leaped down the stairs three at a time, worried that something was wrong. He hadn’t been expecting Will to call him this early or to call him at all. At the bottom, his little toe just caught the corner of the last baluster on the step rails. The most annoying kind of pain exploded from the side of his foot and he danced around, rubbing his damaged digit for a second before being able to answer.

“Will! I’m here! Is everything ok! Over.”

“ _Yeah, everything’s fine. I just thought it would be cool to call you on here. I’m surprised you had it on. Sorry for scaring you…over.”_

Now he just felt silly, knowing he should have never been worried.

“I had it on in case anyone else called about the party today. I was just excited when I heard your v…” He grimaced slightly at the bad choice of words, “...when I heard it and ran downstairs to answer. What’s up? Over” The pain in his foot was starting to ease.

_“I was wondering if maybe I could come over early? You know, if you weren’t busy. Over.”_

He got excited at the thought of hanging out with Will, “Yeah! Yeah, of course. I need to go get some groceries anyway. Want me to pick you up? Over.”

“ _Sure, how about in thirty minutes or so? Over.”_

He would have to hurry, but he would go as fast as he could to get over there on time.

“Sounds good. See you soon. Over and out.”

He put down the supercomm and bounded up the stairs two at a time. He was careful to stay in the middle and not repeat his earlier mistake by catching his little toe again.

He ran to his room and grabbed some fresh clothes. Nothing fancy, gym shorts and a t-shirt. He ran to the shower and jumped in before the water even warmed up. The cold water was uncomfortable, but at this point he doesn’t care, Will is waiting.

It takes him about ten minutes to finish the shower, brush his teeth and get dressed. He doesn’t bother drying or combing his hair. Since they are swimming later, straightening out the short wavy mop won’t really matter. He snags his Chicago Bears hat to cover the unbrushed mess when he goes into the store.

As he walks out to the car, he appreciates being able to park under the carport while his parents are gone. The vinyl seats become the temperature of molten lava when the car sits in the sun. It was early, but already hot outside. Barely 8 o’clock and it was above 85 degrees.

The ride to Will’s house was pleasant. The blue hulk didn’t have air conditioning, so rolling down the windows was mandatory. The girls always brought headbands and the boys always had hats if they didn’t want their hair going everywhere. The wind blowing through his wet hair felt amazing and put him in a better mood. The confusion and hurt from last night had faded. He did trust what Max had told him and tried his best not to worry about a relationship forming between his ex-girlfriend, and the boy he now realized he had obvious feelings for.

He wished he had someone to talk to about this problem and share his feelings with. The only one he could even imagine sharing it with was Max, but for now these feelings needed to be pushed way down deep. He had a good life and the best friends a person could have, he couldn’t ruin it just because he was crushing on Will. He wasn’t trying to hide who he was, but he couldn’t put his friends through that. Something huge like this could cause trouble with every party member. He knew they would love him and accept no matter what, but the thought of any of them, especially Will, judging or being upset with him was enough for him to suffer through it.

The crazy part was that he didn’t think of himself as gay or liking boys only. He had never liked another boy like this before. Hell, he hadn’t even loved El like this. He only wanted to be with this boy. He had never been attracted to another like he was to Will now, couldn’t even imagine feeling this way about someone else. He was too young to define his feelings with one word.

His feelings for Will were still a new road that he was travelling down. He had always loved him, but it had been more brotherly, fraternal. Even when Will would cuddle with him for comfort, he saw it as a gesture of deep friendship and accepted the needed touch, even savored it. He had always wanted to be with Will.

Thinking of them when they were younger caused him to remember the time when Will went missing. Those seven days, years ago, were the worst of Mike’s life. His heart broke like it never had before the night he thought Will died. Had it not been for El being there, finding Will’s voice on the supercomm and giving him hope, then he may have succumbed to the depression. When El disappeared while killing the Demogorgon, the only hope he held onto was that Hop, and Mrs. Byers would bring Will home. When he finally got to see him, laying broken in that hospital bed, his heart felt whole again, except for that part that still longed for Eleven.

Tears welled up in his eyes as he remembered. The road a blur ahead of him.

_Why do I do this to myself? They are both here now…I have them both. I’m about to be able to touch and talk to Will._

The thought made him smile through his tears. He quickly wiped them away, so Will wouldn’t see any evidence of his crying.

The more empirical part of his mind pivoted to a weird stream of thought that he had never considered before.

_Could my former feelings for El have something to do with how I feel about Will now? Or was it always Will and that’s why I fell in love with El? Are my feelings for them the same or somehow linked?_

He had just turned down Mirkwood, close to Will’s house, and didn’t have time to ponder this right now. He would revisit the thought when he had more time, but for now he had to give all his focus to his friend. He was an emotional wreck again and had to get on top of it before he got there. He reached into his door pocket and pulled out his sunglasses to hide his eyes. He didn’t want to worry Will.

He turned down the long drive. When he was almost to the house the front door sprang open. Will, looking fresh and amazing, walked out toward the car. He was wearing almost all blue, Mike’s favorite color, and had a huge toothy smile splayed across his face. The hat he was wearing was turned backwards and made him even better looking to Mike’s eyes.

Seeing him was the equalizer, it grounded him and erased all the confusion and emotional thoughts he experienced on the drive. It even pushed what he saw last night, and the dreams of this morning to the rear of his brain. Mike smiled back and felt ok for this first time since he left this same spot yesterday afternoon.

* * *

 

Will

Will walked out to the car and popped his door open. “Good morning, Mike!” he was still wearing the big smile on his face and chewing the last bite of his breakfast.

“Hey, you look really good…a lot better…better than yesterday…nice, you look nice.” He shook his head as if trying to shake off something caught in his hair.

Will laughed while giving him a questioning look then a smile, “Thanks? I feel a lot better…Here, I brought this for you.” He offered him the cup of coffee.

Mike took it from him, “Thanks man, I didn’t have time to make any at home…Wait, this isn’t the same shit from yesterday is it?”

That brought an even harder laugh from Will, “Nooo…just regular with cream and sugar. I’ve watched you make yours a bunch of times and I think I got it right.”

Mike took a sip and smiled, “This is really good, perfect actually.”

“Good, I’m glad. So, where are we off to?” Will quickly looked Mike up and down, appreciating his relaxed look. He loved the whole Top Gun Maverick vibe Mike had going on, with his short dark hair and aviator sunglasses.

“I have to go to the grocery store and get lunch stuff and snacks. Oh yeah, and gas up the hulk for the trip tomorrow.” He backed the car out and headed down the long driveway. “I didn’t plan on being up this early, but I fell asleep in the recliner and the TV woke me up at 7:30.” The fuzzy memory of the dream popped back into his head.

Will had already rolled his window down and took his hat off. He was enjoying the feel of the air through his damp hair. He was also trying not to stare at Mike again, but his friend was making it difficult. Mike had trimmed his hair shorter for the summer, but today it was still wet, and the natural waviness hadn’t been brushed out straight. The dark brown waves were just long enough to reach his ears and neck. He looked perfect, and Will was having a tough time keeping his eyes forward.

“Yeah, kind of the same story for me. I fell asleep on the couch early last night. Hop’s air conditioner came on and froze me out. I slept, like, 9 hours and figured that was enough.” He reached over and adjusted the volume knob up, not enough to end the conversation, just enough to hear the music. When he heard the song, he couldn’t help but feel a little warm, almost blushing. The catchy, acoustic rhythm of “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard” came alive in the speakers. Mike immediately started doing his customary steering wheel tap.

He looked over to Will, with a half-smile, “You look amazing,” He hesitated, shaking his head again. “I mean…You look like you feel amazing.”

Will smiled looking out the open window. Something different was going on with his friend and he couldn’t quite figure it out. He was nervous and fidgety for some reason. It was kind of cute and he didn’t want to torture Mike or make him feel anything negative, so he didn’t make fun or laugh at his odd choice of words. “I feel great. It’s going to be an awesome day.”

Mike nodded in agreement. He was tapping the wheel harder now and bobbing his head to the Paul Simon song. Singing what words he knew.

Will gave him a quizzical look. “You like this song?”

“Yeah, it’s cool, hard not to like a song that happy.”

Will smiled, “Yeah, it’s good.” He was certain he knew what the song was about, though the lyrics left a lot to the imagination of each listener. Will was pretty sure he knew what was going on with Julio at the schoolyard. It was also likely that Mike was clueless about it so he just let it go at that. Any explanation might make things weird. How does one explain that the singer and Julio were probably engaging in activity that most found…undesirable?

He reached around and grabbed his backpack. “You want to hear some new music?”

“Always, what do you have?”

“Jon made it for me. It’s got The Cure, which isn’t new, The Jesus and Mary Chain, XTC and the Pixies. All really good stuff.”

Mike made a funny face, “Ecstasy?”

“X,T,C just letters. It’s a play on the word, I’m sure. They’re a little like Talking Heads. You will really like The Jesus and Mary Chain, they are more your style.” He popped in the cassette but kept the volume at a decent level, so they could talk.

Will was usually spot with his music choices. Some of it was a little too much for Mike’s tastes, but the first song he played was good, “Happy When it Rains” by the Jesus and Mary Chain. Will was right, Mike loved it.

They decided to ride around for a little while until all the stores would be open. He had to go all the way out near the mall because Bradley’s Big Buy was closed for the holiday weekend, and the only other grocery store was way out there.

Before they got to the grocery store, Will looked up with smile as if he had remembered a great story or had an epiphany, “Hey, don’t you owe me an ice cream?”

“What are you talking about?” Mike literally had no clue how he owed Will ice cream, not that he wouldn't buy him all the ice cream in the world if he asked. 

 “The nice lady yesterday, she gave you money to get us ice cream. We never got a chance to get it.”

“Oh…yeah, I still have it. Wait, are you wanting it now? Technically, it’s for all of us and Max and El aren’t here. It’s also 9:30 in the morning.”

“But it would be really good now. It’s already hot. We’ve got plenty of time. Please” He gave Mike the doe eyes.

Mike looked cornered, Will knew he wouldn’t be able to resist the look. “One condition, you have to help me clean and set up the pool.”

“Deal, I was going to help anyway. It’s a date then.”

“Just Like Heaven” by The Cure was playing and Will turned it up a little and sang the rest of the way to the Mall. He was laid back and relaxed, totally living in the moment and enjoying life.

* * *

 

Mike

Mike was the complete opposite. He was wrecked on the inside.

_Did he just call this a date! What does that mean? Date, date or just a friend thing? Wait, did he just ask me out? How dare he just sit there and look breezy! Calm down. Breathe Michael. It’s just ice cream, he couldn’t have meant it that way._

He tried his best to calm his heart and brain. He was glad he was wearing the mirrored Ray-Ban sunglasses, they hid his wide wondering eyes. He began taking deep breaths through his nose and trying not to show any anxiety. Will already coerced him into going to the mall with the soft doe eyes and now announced that this was a date, so anxiety was a given.

They arrived at the Mall and started rolling up windows and getting out of the car. There weren’t many people there this early. It was mostly employees and a large group of older women in track suits, power walking around the upper catwalk.

Mike’s nervousness and anxiety had calmed as they walked through the parking lot, and he tried his best to mimic his friends relaxed and easy state. He had convinced himself to have fun, and just try to go with it. It was just Will, the same guy he was always with.

After both boys donned hats to cover messed up hair, they walked upstairs, straight to Scoops Ahoy. Mike always remembered coming here to torture Steve, who had been the assistant manager when it first opened. Too bad he was now selling insurance for his father and not here to sneak them treats or load up their orders with extra candy and toppings.

They walked up to the counter and a pretty, strawberry blonde girl walked out from the back in her sailor’s outfit. She had to be close to their age, but neither boy had ever seen her before. Mike noticed her looking Will up and down while he studied the menu, obviously seeing something she liked. “Ahoy, y’all. What can I get for you?” She spoke with a syrupy sweet southern accent. Mike’s jealousy intensified, he didn’t appreciate the way she was looking at Will, didn’t like it at all.

Will had a smile on his face as his eyes came down from the menu and met hers, “Y’all? You’re not from around here, are you…Melanie?” He focused on her lapel for a second to read her name tag.

_Why is he being so nice?_

“Nope, I just moved here from Georgia. So nice of you to ask.”

“Welcome to Hawkins then, I’m Will and this is Mike.”

Mike gave her a little wave and a half smile. She seemed to cut her eyes downward when he looked at her. “Hey.”

“Thank you, you’re so sweet! What can I get for you guys?”

Will spoke up first, “Double mocha with peanut butter chips, in a cup.”

She wrote it down and looked over to Mike with a big smile on her face. “Oh, I’ll take a double scoop of vanilla with toffee bits in a waffle cone.”

She punched a few keys on the register, “All right, that’ll be $3.88. I’ll bring it right out, if you want to have a seat.”

Mike paid her with a five-dollar bill and told her to keep the change. Just because she was ogling Will didn’t mean he shouldn’t be decent. She blushed a little and gave him the sweetest thank you ever. He looked up to see Will studying him with narrowed eyes. As soon as he realized Mike was looking, he switched back to his regular smile.

Since it wasn’t even 10:00, they had the pick of any table in the place. Will walked to the table closest to the door, and farthest away from the counter and sat down, no longer smiling like he had been earlier. Mike looked at him quizzically, wondering why his demeanor changed.

Will spoke first, “That was weird.”

_So, he noticed it, too._ “Tell me about it, she couldn’t keep her eyes off of you.”

Will’s eyebrow arched, and a little mock angry glare crept in, “Me! She was looking at you the whole time. Like a tiger staring at a steak! I had to do all the talking because you just stood there with your mouth hanging open!” He spoke in a harsh whisper, evidently not wanting anyone to hear what he was saying.

Mike huffed, “Were we at the same counter just now? She’s clearly into you,  _sweetie_!” The last word coming out in mock southern accent and a playful touch on his forearm.

“Shh, here she comes.” Will put a more pleasant look on his face when she came over to them and dropped off a small tray.

“Here you go boys, y’all enjoy! Oh, and here’s your receipt if you need it.” She handed Mike the small piece of folded paper with a broad smile.

Both boys smiled back and said thanks. She retired to the back again, probably getting the place ready for a busy day later.

Will spoke first again, his face going back into mock angry mode. “See, totally into you! Look at you, acting all shy, and then your cute little wave when I introduced us.” He banged the table with his palm as if to emphasize his point.

“Nah, dude, she was completely all about you. That accent and all those flirty smiles. Totally you. I’m right, I don’t know how to prove it, but I will. You were the meat that she wanted.”

Will took a bite of his ice cream, studying Mike, who was also enjoying his treat. Will shook his head looking down toward the table. A sly smile crept across his face. “Is the receipt for the right amount?”

“What? What difference does that make?” Mike asked reaching for the piece of paper.

“I was just wondering.” Will took a bite of his ice cream, still wearing the cocky smile.

“I’m sure it….” He trailed off as he opened it up and looked down at it. A big blush and a look of bewilderment showed itself on his face. He looked up at Will, who was displaying a broad, smug grin. “How did you know?”

Will shrugged, holding on to the cocky smile, “Why else would she hand you a folded receipt? It’s her phone number, isn’t it?”

Mike let out a long sigh, now knowing Will had been correct. He flipped the paper over revealing the scrawled numbers to Will, “I really thought she was eyeing you the whole time.”

“Just you…stud!” Will laughed. Mike blushed and backhanded his arm with a gentle hit.

“I guess she will have to be disappointed, though.”

“Why?”

“Blondes aren't really my thing, I like brown hair better.”

Will gave a little laugh as his eyes flicked almost imperceptibly to the dark brown hair spilling out from under Mike’s hat. His face turned bright red.

“We can just give this to Dustin as a welcome home present, then.” Mike said with a big grin, pocketing the number.

Will laughed louder, the red of his cheeks fading to pink. “Let’s walk around, probably best we disappear.”

“Ok, let’s go.”

They meandered around the upper floor while finishing their treats. They could talk about anything and everything they wanted since no one was around except for the power walking women, who lapped them a few times. Conversation went from later today, to work and what they had coming up at the Post. It eventually settled on music, which happened a lot when Will was around. Both boys laughed a lot and punctuated much of what they said with lots of arm motions and body language. It was a care free moment and they were both happy with the decision to come get ice cream.

They worked their way back to the front door of the Mall. “We should probably get to the store, so we can go home and get everything ready.” Mike spoke, feeling disappointed that the time was at an end.

* * *

 

Will was also disappointed. He spent a lot of time with Mike, but fun and easy times like this one were rare, especially when it was only the two of them. He wished it could go on forever.

_Almost like a real date._

He had called it a date earlier. He didn’t mean it literally, it just popped out and he tried not to make it seem like he meant it that way. He would never want Mike to be uncomfortable. He was growing more and more sure of his feelings every day and didn’t want to scare his friend off or make him mad.

“Yeah…I guess we should.” Will responded

“This was fun, I had a good time.”

“Me too, Mike.” Will gave him a warm smile. He would hold on to this memory for a long time. “Let’s get going.”

Mike pushed the heavy glass door open, and they both walked out into the bright, blazing hot day.

* * *

 

The ride to the grocery store was mostly quiet. Both were dwelling on the time spent at the mall and wishing it had lasted longer.

They quickly ran in to the store and got all the stuff on Mike’s list. As soon as they had enough food for the party and the next few days, they checked out, and loaded back up into the car. They were starting to get excited about seeing their friends. A lot was happening in each of their personal lives, but having the whole party back together was also important. Lucas and Dustin had been gone for two weeks, everyone missed them in the worst way.

They got back to the Wheeler house and carried all the groceries in. Both boys were getting excited about the party. They stashed all the food in the appropriate spots. Will and Max would be handling all the cooking, they were the only two who had any experience and wouldn’t make a huge mess of everything.

Mike was going over the house one last time, making sure it was clean and no dirty underwear was laying around on the floor. Will shouted down from upstairs. “Hey, I’m going to change into my swimsuit really quick.”

“Ok, Mom washed everything before she left. They should be in your drawer.”

Will stayed over so often, he had a small stash of clothes and other things that he kept there. Mike had cleaned out a drawer for him to have as his own to keep all his stuff in. Lucas and Dustin lived in the same neighborhood, so they were able to get what they needed from their houses at any time. It was always nice for Will to have things here, especially for the unplanned overnighters.

Will changed, grabbed a towel from the bathroom and headed out to the back yard. As soon as Mike was done with all the inside stuff he ran upstairs and put on his swimsuit and headed out as well.

Ted Wheeler had consented to installing a pool two summers ago after much begging from Nancy and Mike. There was plenty of space in the backyard, and their father had even opted to put up a nice wood privacy fence. The house had always been the go-to hangout, but having the pool added a whole new reason for the party to always be there.

Will was already outside working by the time Mike got to the backyard. He was pulling the stereo speakers out of the basement and setting them up on the patio, so they could have music for the afternoon. Mike cut the grass on Thursday evening and cleaned house last night, so the pool was all he had left to get ready. The trees in the back yard were forever shedding leaves and needles into the clear water so the pool required cleaning at least once every few days.

“What else can I do to help?” Will had just set the stereo to play the local rock station. That way no one would need to run in and flip and swap cassettes.

“You can skim the top, if that’s ok.” Mike was busy hooking up the pool vacuum, so he could clean the bottom and sides of the pool. It was his responsibility to keep it clean, and the chemicals balanced. That was part of the deal when Ted agreed to put it in.

Mike started vacuuming up all the trash on the bottom, but he was mostly paying attention to Will, who was working on scooping the leaves off the top of the water. He was wearing only his Hawaiian style flowered bathing suit and sunglasses. He was skinny but not gaunt and had filled out nicely over the last few years. The tiny, skin and bones boy had disappeared. He was only a couple of inches shorter than Mike now and had better muscle tone than all the other boys, except maybe Lucas. Will didn’t work out or play sports, but he still carried a natural athletic build. He was someone Mike could appreciate looking at. His tanned skin and lightened brown hair with reddish streaks spoke of how much time he had spent in the sun this summer, most of it in or beside this pool. Mike thought it odd that this was the first time he had truly appreciated his physical appearance. The guy was beautiful.

They were almost finished cleaning the pool when “You Might Think” by The Cars started playing through the stereo speakers. At first, Will began bobbing his head and doing a little dance to the catchy pop rock tune. He started using the end of the skimming net pole as a “microphone”, singing all the words to the song out loud. As the song progressed, he got more and more into it, singing louder, moving more. When he realized he had a captive audience of one, he began acting like he was singing the song directly to Mike.

_You might think it’s foolish_

_What you put me through_

_You might think I’m crazy_

_But all I want is you_

Mike had a huge grin on his face as he watched the other boy’s performance. It wasn’t about the meaning of the words, but it was fun watching his friend acting crazy and free. Will moved closer to Mike, dancing and using the pole as a guitar too, trying his best to get his lanky friend to join in. Mike shook his head, knowing dancing near a pool wasn’t a good idea for him.

Will got closer. The middle of the song had a slightly slower hook, followed by a guitar solo. During this, Will leaned his back against Mike like a rock star playing his “guitar” pole. This finally got Mike to loosen up a little bit and start moving around in his version of a dance. Will continued to move and sing in a tight circle around his friend, bumping against him every few seconds. He was having an absolute blast and it was contagious.

_Oh, I think that your wild_

_And so uniquely styled_

_You might think I’m foolish_

_This chancy rendezvous_

_You might think I’m crazy_

_But all I want is you_

By the end of the catchy pop/rock song, Mike was kind of dancing. They weren’t dancing with each other as much as they were jumping around, close and little wild. As they were both singing the last lines, Mike’s coordination ran out, and the vacuum hose that had wrapped around his feet while they were moving around, tripped him. As he fell, he reached out and grabbed the closest thing to him, hoping to catch his balance. This just happened to be the arm of a surprised Will, who let out a yelp as both boys tumbled into a tangled mess of arms, legs and vacuum hose on the grassy hill next to the sidewalk around the pool.

Once they realized no one was hurt, both boys broke out into howls of laughter. They just stayed like that for several long seconds, with Will sprawled on top of Mike, before starting to untangle the hose and their limbs. They would have been happy to stay like that for a while, but their friends could be there any second and being caught like this would be hard to explain in any sort of convincing manner. Will was still chuckling as he climbed from laying on top of Mike. He bent down, offered his hand and helped pull him to his feet.

Will started to brush the grass and dirt off his body and swimsuit, which made him start laughing again, “I’m not even going to ask how you managed to do that to us. Good thing we fell toward the grass and not the pool.”

Mike giggled, “Yeah, that might have been a little awkward when everyone else got here. Seeing the two of us tangled up like that bobbing in the pool.”

Will started laughing again, “Let’s get everything put up, they’ll be here any minute."

* * *

 

On the other side of the wooden fence, the two girls turned around and sat down on the ground, both covering their mouths to hold in the laughter and giggles caused by what they had just witnessed. Max looked over to El with a look on her face that said, “I told you so”.

“We cannot say anything El, they would die if they knew we saw that.”

“I know, but it was so cute. The way Will was dancing around him and then how he just laid on top of him laughing.” She giggled again.

Max put her hand on El’s mouth “Shhh! They’ll hear us. We have got to act normal in there. Get it out of your system before we walk around front.”

The girls had arrived a few minutes ago, about the same time Will had begun to sing. They were going to walk through the back gate, but instead they started watching the impromptu show through the cracks between the fence planks. They couldn’t help but be completely amused by the display and watched it through to its fantastic clumsy end.

* * *

 Earlier that morning Max had made her way back over to the Byers’ home. She was surprised to find that Will was already gone. El was still fast asleep, so Max made some breakfast and sat down to watch TV until her friend woke up. Around 10:30, El stumbled her way into the living room and plopped down on the couch next to her.

“Good morning, sunshine. Where’s Will?” She spoke, eyes still glued on the tv.

El sighed, she was still half asleep. She held up the note Will left earlier, “He’s gone with Mike. What a shock.” El had learned the art of sarcasm from Mike and Max.

“I should have figured. You slept a long time. I was starting to get worried.” Max looked at El’s face, “You may want to check your nose. I didn’t see it last night or I would have cleaned you up.”

“Ugh, I always forget, too. It doesn’t happen often anymore. Maybe it will stop one day. I hope Will didn’t see it. It makes him feel guilty.” She got up to walk toward the bathroom, “I’m taking a quick shower.”

“Ok, I’ll get you some breakfast ready.”

El was out of the bathroom in a matter of minutes. Nothing special or time consuming needed to be done since they were only going swimming later. While she was eating, she reached out to find Will. She was having trouble sensing anything which usually meant he was happy. His negative emotions were easier for her to feel. When he was happy or complacent, he mostly disappeared from her mind’s eye, unless he was broadcasting directly at her.

“If he saw it, he isn’t too upset. I’m drawing a total blank, which is a good thing. He’s always happier when he’s alone with Mike.”

“Yeah, that’s true.” Max paused for a moment, “Since you brought Mike up, we need to talk. He was watching us last night. He came over to see Will and got here right when we started. He saw it all…including the kiss.” May as well get it all out at once, she had learned not to hold back or try to hide things from her best friend.

El stared blankly at her, a little surprise showing on her face. “How do you know all that?”

“I went out the back door, so I could chain the front. Caught him totally off guard and scared the shit out of him. He scared me too, I didn’t realize who he was until he turned around. I was about to clobber him with my board. After he calmed down, we talked for an hour. I got him mostly settled down."

El cracked a smile at the mental picture of Max scaring Mike, then got serious again. “I am going to have to talk to him. I’m sure he doesn’t understand it at all.”

“I told him everything I knew. He was really worried about the kiss and thought you and Will were…” She held up her hand with two fingers crossed.

“Me and Will together! Eww, he’s my brother.” Her mouth turned downward in a look of disgust.

“In Mike’s defense, you did kiss him…quite passionately.”

“It’s the best way to help him,” she blew it off as if the act was completely harmless, no different than a handshake or high-five. She paused, thinking. “How do I explain it without telling him everything? I can’t betray Will. He doesn’t even know that I know.”

Max knew that El wasn’t really asking her for an answer, she was thinking out loud. She was also wondering what El meant about betraying Will.

“Why did he have to come over here? It complicates things.” She was back to talking to Max.

“He was worried about Will. He…uh…he kind of…” Max couldn’t bring herself to finish the sentence. It felt like betrayal.

“What?” El prodded. “Just tell me, may as well save some time, I’ll find out eventually. The more I know now, the easier it will be.”

“He has more than just feelings of friendship. He didn’t tell me that specifically, but it was easy to figure it out.”

“That’s not possible, I would know if he had feelings for me again.”

Max looked at her with tight lips and an arched eyebrow. “Not you, El.” She could see the change in El’s face as realization set in, her mouth hanging slightly open.

“Oh, oh wow…I don’t get surprised much, but that is…”

“Shocking," Max finished the sentence for her, "I know, right. It completely surprised me too. When we were talking, he was staring at Will through the window and actually shed tears.  It was so damn sweet. The only other time I’ve seen that look in his eyes was four years ago, when you walked through that door.” She jerked her thumb toward the opening leading to the front porch.

El smiled at the memory and then came back to the present, “It has to be a recent change, either that or he keeps it way down deep. He must be terrified someone will find out.”

Max agreed, nodding her head. The only reason she knew was because Mike had been emotionally compromised and let his feelings slip out.

“Hey El, what did you mean by saying you didn’t want to betray Will?”

El looked at her for a few long seconds as if she were trying to figure out what to say.

Max continued, “You know you can trust me, I won’t tell a soul.”

“Of course, I trust you Max, it’s just, well, Will doesn’t even know what I know,” She emphasized the last words by pressing her palm flat against her chest. She looked straight into Max’s eyes. “Mike isn’t the only one with those feelings. He has always had a special spot in Will’s heart, but recently it’s been different. When he’s with or thinking about Mike, there are new emotions coming from him. I don’t know how to describe it. They are like waves of colored heat. It’s powerful.”

Max stood open mouthed again, for the second time in as many days. “I always knew Will had kind of a boy crush on him, but your saying this is different, right?”

“Yes,” El held up her hand with fingers crossed, mimicking Max from earlier.

“When you talk to him later, you can’t let on that we know at all, at least not yet. This is big, and they need to figure it out all on their own.” Max was wearing her trademark sly smile.

“Yes, they won’t need our help at all, I’m sure they will have it figured out in no time.” El said with a look of sarcastic pity.

Max laughed, “Wow, Eleven, you’ve been hanging out with me too long and too much, you are really developing the gift of sarcasm well."

“This is going to be so much fun!” Both girls broke into a fit of laughter. 

* * *

 

They decided to use the Wheeler's front door to avoid any suspicion from Will and Mike. As they rounded the corner a familiar voice interrupted the silence and startled them both.

“Hey ladies!” Lucas Sinclair, wearing a wide grin with his arms spread, was walking across the grass between his front yard and the Wheeler’s driveway. Max squealed and took off running towards him as fast as she could. He caught her as the diminutive girl jumped into his arms, wrapping herself around him, giving him a long kiss. El couldn’t help but have a huge smile, seeing the couple reunited after a long 14 days.

“Oh my god, it’s so good to see you.” Max was beaming as she looked into his eyes. She dropped her legs from around him and embraced him in another huge hug, squeezing him tight, burying her face in his chest and breathing in his scent as if for the first time. 

The couple was in the middle of a long “on again” stage in their relationship. Over the years there were many times when one of them would need space or things would become hectic, and they would take short breaks from dating. Not once had it ever been in anger or for negative reasons. Sooner or later they would always gravitate back to one another and pick up right where they left off.

El, cleared her throat, reminding the reunited couple that she was there and that they had a party to get to. Max and Lucas broke their embrace and walked hand in hand to the front door step. El gave Lucas a big hug as well.

“I’m so glad you are home, really missed you.”

“Missed you too, El. I wish you guys could have been there. That camp was awesome, would have been amazing if all six of us could do it together.”

They opened the front door and walked in, no one in the party bothered ringing the doorbell if they were expected, especially if Mike’s parents weren’t home. They went straight downstairs and out to the backyard where Mike and Will were just getting finished putting all the pool cleaning stuff away.

“Did you get it good and clean fellas!”

“LUCAS!!” Will was a flash running across the yard and tackled his friend to the ground. Mike was right behind and piled on top of them both about three seconds later. When they stood back up, real hugs were exchanged, and they greeted each other properly.

El and Max weren’t left out long as both Mike and Will welcomed them, too. When Max greeted Mike, she gave him the “are you ok” look. He gave her a quick nod and a smile. The exchange was quick and silent to avoid anyone noticing. When he hugged El she gave him a different look. He knew that she knew he had been there last night.

“Talk later?” She asked and he answered her with another nod, only this one wasn’t accompanied by a smile. He wasn’t worried about speaking to her. What truly worried him were the answers he might get from the conversation. The morning had gone so well, and he had so much fun being with Will that he forgot about what he saw last night. Seeing them hug just now reminded him of it all and had brought him down just a little.

Before he let it get to him too bad, the sound of a rough running engine came from the front of the house. They all knew the sound of Dustin’s old beat up Ford truck pulling into the driveway.

“Quick, everybody inside and sit down, act bored and just sit there. Will, stay focused.” Lucas always loved playing tricks on his best friend.

They all ran inside and settled on the couch and floor in their usual spots. Mike clicked on the TV and sat down on the couch next to Will. They were all quiet and could hear Dustin walking across the kitchen floor above them. He busted through the basement door and ran down the stairs, jumping the last few. With a loud, “Hey Everybody!” Wearing his huge smile and arms open wide he landed in front of his friends.

As a group, they all gave him bored looks and Will threw up a weak wave and said, “ ‘sup Dustin,” in a low disinterested voice. They all went back to watching TV. Dustin’s toothy smile faded to a frown and he got a hurt look on his face.

“Are you fuckin’ kidding me, I’ve been gone for two weeks and this is all I get.”

“Shh, we’re watching the news.” Max spoke up, keeping a straight face.

Dustin’s shoulders slumped forward and the look on his face shifted to total unbelief. Will looked toward the far wall because he was about to crack, and a smile was starting to creep its way onto his face. He was always the first to break during practical jokes. The look on Dustin’s face was about to make them all break. He walked over and started to take his usual spot, muttering something about terrible friends.

Before he could sit down on the floor at the end of the couch, the other three boys, led by Mike, all let out a yell and mugged the curly haired boy. “Dusty!” They all commenced to pile on, with Will flopping on top of the other three.

Dustin was surprised, and then happy to see all his friends after he realized they were joking with him. They all stood up and gave him big hugs, welcoming him home. After they calmed a little, Max and El jumped in the fray welcoming their last member back home.

“Isn’t this a pool party, why are you guys watching the news?”

Lucas gave a Dustin a blank look and shook his head, “We were in here just to mess with you man, and you call Mike oblivious.”

“Hey!” Both Mike and Dustin squawked in protest.

They all went outside and started shucking t-shirts and shorts that were over swimsuits. Will was the first one in, with everyone else following suit just after. Dustin was still taking off his shoes and setting all his stuff on a chair by the pool.

As he pulled his shirt over his head, Mike spoke up, “What the hell happened to you man, is that some kind of weird camp disease or something!”

Dustin’s torso was covered with small round welts that looked like big bee stings or some sort of weird pox. “No, these are battle wounds, most of which were inflicted by our so-called friend over there.” He pointed an accusing finger at Lucas.

All the others looked over at Lucas, wondering how he could have caused such a thing. The boy had a cocky grin on his face. “Yeah, I’m proud of those badges of honor. It also proves that Dusty is slow as molasses and has no clue when he’s being hunted by a predator.” Lucas flexed his arms like a body builder.

All the others were confused as to what was going on, so Lucas clarified. “The last few days they let us have paintball wars. We would hunt each other in the woods. Dustin over there is easy prey. I lit his ass up every chance I got. We should all go play sometime.”

Everyone laughed. “If you did that to him, I would be an even easier target. No way am I doing that.” Mike was the least athletic of the bunch.

Dustin jumped in, and the party proceeded as usual. Everyone swam and played the usual pool games. Then they proceeded to take turns off the diving board, trying to impress each other with height and length of jumps and dives, or the splash size from cannonballs. Soon, games of chicken commenced, no one could ever best Max and Lucas. She was ruthless and mean, and could almost never be knocked off her perch. Mike and Will even tried and failed. Mike was taller but wasn’t as strong of a base as Lucas.

* * *

 

Mike

 Will had sat on Mike’s shoulders dozens of times before while playing the silly game. This time was different. The moment Will climbed on, Mike couldn’t help but notice the smooth skin of the other boy’s thighs, so close and pressed against his neck and face, and the feel of Will’s skinny ankles in his hands. Then as the fight got more intense, Will’s muscles tensed and twitched as he moved around, squeezing against his head and face. Mike could also feel other parts of his friend’s body that he shouldn’t be thinking about at all. He lost focus on everything else except the contact between the two of them. It became too much for him to handle. He acted like he lost balance and fell, slipping quickly out from under Will when they went under water, breaking the physical contact. He came up and the other three were laughing and carrying on as normal. He declined another round, saying his shoulder hurt a little, then went over to the poolside and sat with his back in front of a water jet, trying to calm down.

_Oh no, I am so screwed up. This can’t be happening_.

He sat back and just watched his friends playing. After a few more rounds, they declared the reunited couple champions. The rest of them started moving on to less active things and relaxing around the pool. Max and Lucas isolated themselves in a corner of the shallow end and started talking in low tones, catching up and spending some needed time together. El got out of the water, and laid down on one the poolside lounges, sunning. Mike climbed out and went over and stretched out in another chair beside her. Dustin and Will went back to dive and swimming competitions.

Mike put his sunglasses on and spent the entire time watching Will. The boy was a natural when it came to the water. He could hold his breath for a crazy long time, often staying under for several minutes. He dove with an easy grace, barely causing a splash when he broke the surface of the water. He could swim fast, faster than anyone else in the party. The water seemed to bend and flow with the contour of his body as he glided through it. Mike was mesmerized watching him.

They had such a fantastic time this morning, and then when their friends got here it seemed to change. Well, Mike changed, especially when Will was sitting on his shoulders. The physical contact was so nice, and he wanted more of it. That was the problem. He had liked it, a lot, and he was having these feelings in front of all his friends. That scared him. The thought of being found out that he was in love with his best friend terrified Mike. He could lose everyone, and worst of all he could lose Will. That was unacceptable. He knew he had to push these feelings away and bury them deeper for that not to happen. His feelings didn’t matter. He had to protect Will and everyone else.

El was watching him watch Will. He was so caught up in his own internal struggle that he didn’t even notice her eyes locked on him. She could see the turmoil, his body language and facial expressions told her almost everything she needed to know. His struggle was going to take over if she didn’t soon intervene. She knew how his mind worked. He was one of the most selfless people she had ever met, his personal pain and anguish didn’t matter if it kept everyone else happy and safe.

She reached over and laid her hand on his forearm. It broke him out of his thoughts and he looked over at her. She gave him a small smile. He smiled back automatically. They still cared for each other.

“Ready for that talk?”

He looked at her, she couldn’t see his eyes, but the emotions were thick in his voice.

“Yeah, I think I am.”

They both stood up and walked into the basement door.

* * *

 

Will was watching the pair as they left from the backyard. He couldn’t imagine why they would walk inside like that, and it bothered him a little. His first thought was that they may be rekindling their relationship, jealousy always seemed to be the first emotion to flare up. He tried to dismiss those thoughts. He was sure he would find out what was going on, from at least one of them, later.

“What’s that all about?” He had forgotten Dustin was right there beside him.

“Hmm?”

“Mike and El, is that a thing again?”

“I don’t think so. He hasn’t said a word to me about her. Maybe they’re just going to talk.” The jealousy spiked because Dustin noticed it as well. Now he was worried again. He felt like he opened up to Mike a lot this morning. The mall had been a lot of fun. He knew it wasn’t officially a “date”, but it really started feeling like one toward the end.

He was feeling selfish when it came to Mike, which was out of character for him. He had never desired anything or anyone the way he desired Mike, and for El to come back into the picture now could ruin everything. He knew his chances with Mike were almost zero, but he thought he had felt some kind spark this morning. He had chanced it, and started to hope that maybe, just maybe, he might like him back. If El was moving back into the picture, then it would derail any hope of that.

He knew that the breakup had been more of her idea, and Mike wanted to keep the relationship going. The two boys had talked about it on many occasions, several of which ended with Mike in tears. Will knew how Mike had felt about her then and was certain he could start feeling that way again. In his heart of hearts, he didn’t think El would be interested, but he could never be sure.

_Get it under control, Will._

His mind was spinning and there was no point in torturing himself. There was no reason for him to worry. He took in a deep breath and slipped under the surface of the water, letting its warmth surround and comfort him. The silence started to still his wandering mind. He closed his eyes and floated there for as long as he could. He relaxed, letting the peace and serenity flow over and through him. Time and the outside world almost ceased to exist to his senses.

As he centered himself, the selfishness and jealous thoughts melted away. He remembered what El was to him, and how much he trusted her. She made it well known that she didn’t have room in her life for a romantic relationship. Being isolated underwater gave him the focus he needed to think clear and logically.

About the time he was feeling balanced again, his lungs were starting to burn, telling him it was time for air. He slowly rose to the surface of the water. The sounds and smells of outside came back to him as he took in a took in a deep breath. It felt incredible after being under so long. He felt clean, all the negative thoughts and emotions were gone. He looked around, taking in his surroundings.

Lucas and Dustin were standing right on the edge of the shallow end of the pool staring at him. Lucas had a mild worried look and Dustin was wearing his goofy smile. Will gave them a questioning glance.

“You were under for a few minutes, man. I was about to come after you.” When Mike wasn’t around Lucas always became the protector.

“Oh, I’m sorry guys. Just relaxing, it’s peaceful under there.”

“It’s all good Will, we were really just making sure you were ok.”

Dustin cleared his throat, “We, um, we’re also starving. Max already went to get some stuff together. She wanted to know if you could help her when you came up.”

The big Will smile came back. Dustin always thought with his stomach. “Sure, I was planning on helping her anyway.”

All three got out of the water and started drying off. They were all hungry and talking about food. Will and Lucas left their shirts off, but Dustin slipped his back on before they all went inside. None of them noticed that the paintball welts they had joked about earlier were completely gone.

* * *

 

Mike and El decided it would be best to talk in his bedroom. They would have more privacy there. He didn’t need the complication of someone hearing any of what they were going to talk about.

He closed the door behind them and flopped straight back onto his bed. He had replaced his old set of bunk beds with a queen size bed two years ago. El took a seat in his desk chair and spun around to face him. They stayed like that for a minute or two, her watching him lying on his back with his long arms out wide. He was just staring at the ceiling.

“Well?” She spoke first, not really knowing how to start the conversation.

He sat up, so they could look each other eye to eye. While he was laying there, he decided to just be honest and direct. They knew each other well, and there was no point in delaying the conversation with small talk or unnecessary words. He broke eye contact and focused on the bright blue bracelet she almost always wore, then glanced down at his hands, which were shaking badly.

“I, um, I think I’m in love with Will.” He blurted it out before he could think about it anymore. That was NOT how he planned to start the conversation.

_Holy shit, I can’t believe I said it!_

Pandora’s box was open, so he may as well get it all out, “I know it’s terrible of me to say that and terrible for me to feel this way, but it’s the truth. I don’t know what to do. I didn’t even realize that I really liked him until the last few days. It felt like I was going to explode or have a meltdown if I didn’t tell someone, and I thought you might understand more than anyone else. I’m so sorry, El. Please don’t hate me, please, please don’t tell anyone. I don’t know what to do.”

All the pent-up frustration and confusion of the last few days came pouring out of him. He felt the tears in his eyes well up, and he tried his best to hold them back. He was wringing his hands together and his right leg was bobbing up and down like a sewing machine.

He looked up hesitantly, not knowing if he wanted to see her reaction to his words. He was relieved to see her kind eyes and soft dimpled smile. He stopped all his nervous movement and allowed the tears to flow.

She tried to ease his anxiety by reaching out to steady his hand with hers. “Oh, Mike, I could never, ever hate you for loving someone, especially Will. I totally understand, he is such a special person.” It felt like a silly thing to say, but what are the perfect words to use when someone tells you something so monumental.

All the built-up frustration combined with her acceptance, sent him over the edge. He broke down and started full on sobbing, which was rare for the normally reserved boy. It seemed like he had been doing it a lot the last day or so. She leaned in and wrapped her arms around him, pulling his head to her chest, and let him cry. It was cleansing for him, and he needed the release. She rubbed his back and hair, trying to soothe and comfort his frazzled nerves. It went on for a few minutes, he was soon able to pull himself together enough to talk.

“Thanks, El, this means so much to me. I know you and Will are close, and I don’t want to get in the way. I just had to tell someone.”

She pushed him back from the embrace and looked him sternly in the eye. “What do you mean, get in the way of what?”

“You and Will, I, uh, I was spying on you guys last night. I saw you kiss him. I know I wasn’t supposed to see it, and I don’t blame you guys for keeping it secret. Max says it was just to help him, but what I saw…”, he trailed off not knowing where to go from there. He dropped his chin again looking at the floor.

Now she was irritated. “Max told me you saw us. Mike, look at me,” She reached out and pulled his chin up until he met her eyes. “Listen to me carefully. We are not a thing. He’s my brother and that’s all he ever will be. I can’t explain what you saw last night, only that it was for his benefit. He suffered all day long and he needed all the help he could get.”

“I just don’t understand. Max told me all that last night. What do you mean he suffered all day? What do you mean it was for his benefit? Why can’t you just tell me more? I won’t tell anyone, and I won’t say anything to Will, I promise?” He was practically begging her for answers.

She realized that his worries might have consumed him more than she initially thought. He had just made an enormous, life changing confession to her. In return she was giving him basic, unsatisfying answers and not saying anything of substance. He had trusted her with something huge and she should pay that back, equally.  _Quid pro quo_  is what Hopper always called it. She owed him. She let out a deep breath and started speaking.

“You’re right Mike. I get so used to holding secrets that I forget who I’m keeping them from sometimes.” She thought for a few moments about what needed to be said. “First I want you to know that I love you. I always have. I still think about us all the time. I love that you let me go, even though it was against your will. I love that you can still tell me things like you told me a minute ago. I know how big of a deal that is. I will always help you, and give you whatever advice or information you need, especially about Will. What I will not do is betray any of you. It’s not an option. We have all been through too much, especially him. None of us truly understands what he has been through and we never will.”

“What the shadow monster did to him was so much worse than any of us know. You know a lot of it, but he won’t ever tell anyone what it really did. I only know because he let me in a little. While he was under its control, the thing tortured him. It would show him visions of his family and friends dying over and over. Dying all sorts of horrible deaths. You, dying in his mind’s eye a thousand times. It stole Will’s desire to live, it corrupted every happy thing he ever had. It took every secret and used it against him. He barely survived it. Another few hours and everything that was Will would have been gone.”

“He sees it over again when he has these episodes. He lives it all again. That’s what happened in the arcade. He saw it happening to you, and it feels real to him. That’s why he reacts so strongly. It’s not just a dream, Mike. It feels, smells, and sounds real. He was terrified yesterday because he thought he lost you, again.” She stopped talking long enough to let it sink in.

“I had no clue it was so bad,” Mike broke the silence. “How can I help him?”

“You already do. He wants to be treated like a normal person. He wants to have friends who he can trust, he wants to fall in love one day and live a normal life, especially since his was almost stolen from him twice. Will appreciates every sunrise and sunset, loves all the moments in between. He absorbs and catalogs every moment he’s awake, especially when he’s with the ones he loves. You see something different in him, it’s because he’s a little more _there_ than most others. I don’t know how else to say it.”

“I think I know what you mean.” He closed his eyes, debating if he should say what he really thought.

_All the cards are on the table now. No reason to hold it in._

He fully confessed, “Whenever I see him, I can breathe easier. When we meet up for the first time each day, I relax and feel right. He consumes my thoughts. Every time he touches me it feels like fire on my skin, I can feel it for hours after he lets go. It's like I’m lost when he’s not near me. That's why I came out there last night.”

She was blushing while listening to his confession. It wasn’t out of embarrassment, but because she knew what this would mean to Will if he could hear it. She smiled at him again. “He is special. Do you feel better now?"

He nodded “I have some more questions.”

“Ask all you want, one second though.” She closed her eyes and focused her thoughts on the people downstairs. She translated what she was seeing so Mike would know as well, “Max and Will are cooking dinner. Dustin and Lucas are sitting at the table. They are talking about camp and what all happened while they were gone.” She gasped in the smallest way, taking in a small amount of air, acting as if something surprised her. “Uh oh, Will just realized that I’m watching them, but we still have some time.” She broke off the contact, opening her eyes.

“That’s always so amazing,” Mike was feeling lighter, having confessed all those feelings to El. His eyes squinted in concentration as he thought about what just happened. “Wait, he knows when you are watching? Since when was he able to do that?”

“Once we got to know each other. He always knows when I’m watching him but doesn’t want anyone to know. He can even block me, if he wants to. I told you he was special.”

Mike squinted his eyes again and thought about all El’s words for a moment: _Special, more there than anyone else, he knew when she was watching, I told you he was special_. He remembered then that El didn’t use words the way the rest of them did. Words like _special_ and phrases like _more there_ weren’t just a general reference. She was literal never metaphorical. A chill of realization shot down his spine. “El, explain what you mean by Will being special.”

She was a little shocked by his sudden change in demeanor. This wasn’t mushy emotional Mike anymore; the investigator sat in front of her now. “I mean it’s obvious, he’s special, different than others. He’s not a normal.” Even after four years of English lessons, she still couldn’t always find the words she needed.

“Are you saying he’s like you, that he can do what you do?” He sounded panicked, his voice rising an octave

“No, of course not.” She shook her head and looked at him like he was crazy.

Mike’s shoulders fell back in relief, not knowing if he could handle it if two people he cared about so much could do those things. He should have waited until she finished to feel that relief.

“No one can do everything that I can do, he will figure out what makes him special soon. My sister, Kali, does amazing things, too. She can do a little of what I do, but not all of it. I can do a little of what she does, but not like she can. Will can do some of the little things but hasn’t completely figured out what ‘big’ thing he can do yet. It’s going to be so amazing when he does!” She seemed so excited and happy to be talking about this with someone.

Mike sat in stunned silence after a chill ran down his spine.  _He is like her_. He just stared ahead blankly trying to come to grips with this new information.

“Mike?” Her smile faded into a frown when she saw the look on his face. She was trying to figure out what was going on with his moods, they were all over the place. It dawned on her after a few seconds. She had just overwhelmed him. She had only wanted to give him the truth, not realizing what that truth would do to him. She probably should have taken it a little slower.

“Oh, Mike. I am so sorry. I shouldn’t have told you all that at once.”

“No, it’s ok. I just need a minute to process it.”

“We have to go downstairs soon, or they will get suspicious.” She also wanted them both to enjoy the party.

“OK, ok…just…wait. So, Will is like you, but you don’t know what he can do yet.”

“Correct. He can’t move things with his mind, but we are connected, I can feel him, and he can feel me.” She closed her eyes again. “He’s starting to really worry about us.” He could see her eyes moving under the closed eyelids, then they opened. “There, he will be ok. He knows we are fine.”

Mike shook his head in amazement and chuckled. “Wonder twins.”

“It’s not really that much. I can’t talk to him, I can just send moods and feelings, pleasant thoughts.”

He just shook his head. She would never know what life was like as a “normal”. Amazing stuff like this was as natural as breathing to her.

“Last question and then we can wait on the rest for another time. You were nine or ten when they realized what you could do. He’s seventeen, why doesn’t he know yet?”

“Because he has never had a push.”

Mike looked at her quizzically.

She tried to think of the best way to describe it. “When I was little, they studied me, watched me play with other kids for hours and hours. When I got mad or angry, I would move people away from me or snatch toys from across the room. They would tell me to do those things in a lab, and when I couldn’t or wouldn’t do what they wanted, I would get punished. They would shock me or throw me into a tiny dark room with no lights or food for days. Papa called it a push. They did it to Kali, too.” Her eyes glazed over as she remembered the hell they put her through.

“I’m sorry, El, you really don’t have to tell me anymore if it bothers you.” He felt bad for making her think of the past.

“No, it’s ok. The bad part is over. Will is special, but he hasn’t been pushed. The upside down and shadow monster both pushed him some, changed him, but not all the way. We have tried to work on a few things, but it must be found naturally. Most of the time it’s an emotional response. My strongest gifts are fueled by anger and hate, probably because of what Papa and the others did to me. Kali’s strongest gifts are fueled by anger, fear and panic. I think his gifts will come from happiness and love. He is different than me, for sure.” She was rubbing her fingers over the light pink scar on her arm that had been a nasty, jagged cut just yesterday.

“That part makes sense, but he didn’t get it from the lab, where did it come from?” Mike went into investigative mode again.

El stood up from her seat, “I don’t know. We need to get back down there, Mike.”

“I know, I know…just, wait two more minutes. I never got to ask my final two questions.” He stalled further.

“You can have one.”

He huffed a little in frustration. He knew that his mind would be all over the place later, and that he might not get a chance to talk to her about this for a while. He tried to phrase his one question to get the most information he could. “Why does the dancing help him forget the episodes?” He almost included _and kissing_ in the question but chickened out, not sure if he wanted to know the answer.

“Remember how I told you his gift probably works off of happiness and love?”

He nodded.

“The dance makes him happy, it enables him to fix his mind and repair the damage done by the flashbacks. It’s kind of like resetting a video game that freezes. Do you understand?”

“Yes, well, I think I do, but…”

“No buts Michael, we have to go.” She turned toward the door, before she could open it, he grabbed her arm. She turned toward him, angry. “What, Mike!”

“What about the kiss? Last question, I promise.” Once again his last question was the one he wanted to know first. He decided that he had to know or wouldn’t be able to sleep. It was the original reason he wanted to talk to her in the first place. He would later remember how this conversation had changed his life, even though he had never planned on telling El his secret, and never planned on learning his best friend’s secret.

She exhaled through her nose, rolling her eyes at him. “If I answer this you can’t ask anything else.”

“Ok, I promise.”

“Remember how I told you I could do a little of what my sister, Kali, can do.”

“Yes.”

“She can create illusions, make people see things that don’t really exist. It’s an awesome ability. She can even fool many people at one time. She tried teaching me how to do it. I can do it a little, but I can’t get close to what she can do and it takes a lot out of me.”

“Ok?” He looked at her questioningly, prodding for more.

“I know it seems wrong, kind of like a lie, but when we kissed, Will wasn’t seeing me. To his eyes and mind, I looked like someone else. Someone he's in love with. I only do it because it helps him get better.”

“Wait! Wh…What! Who!” He demanded. Another chill had run down his spine when she said he was in love with someone. A brick being dropped on his head would have been less shocking.

She smiled, shook her head and kissed him on the cheek. “I love you Mike, but I can’t tell you that. It’s the best I can do for now. I’m sorry.” Then she turned and walked out of his room, leaving him standing there with his mouth hanging open.

* * *

 

When Will, Dustin and Lucas all poured into the Wheelers kitchen, Max had already started prepping food for their dinner.

“What can I do Max?” Will was always willing to help cook and fix food. The other boys all had moms who liked to cook, so they never had to learn. Joyce wasn’t quite so domestic. She only prepared a meal once a year, at Christmas. At the Byers’ house you either learned to feed yourself or starved. Will and Jonathan were both good at it, and it was usually them who made sure that even Joyce was well fed.

“Hot dogs and burgers. The grill is already heating up.” She was slicing tomatoes and other veggies. Lucas reached over her and grabbed a handful of cucumbers, laying a kiss on her neck in the process.

She turned and gave him another kiss on the lips, appreciating the attention. Lucas had trouble with showing affection when they first got together. It was just something that he was not comfortable with at that point in his life. He learned quickly that Max was physical with her affection, and he would need to adapt if he wanted to keep her happy. It didn’t take him long to learn. Lucas was fiercely devoted to all his friends, especially Max. He no longer had any hang ups with showing her how he felt.

Dustin went to the living room and turned the TV on. Max fussed, saying that they should be socializing and not watching TV. He countered that he was just putting it on MTV for the music. He sauntered back to the kitchen and sat at the little table next to Lucas. They began talking about their adventures over the last two weeks. Both boys had story after story and would probably be telling them for a long time.

Will was somewhat involved in the conversation while he was forming the hamburger meat into patties. It was so nice to have them all in one place again. This made him start wondering again about Mike and El. He wasn’t upset anymore, but it was odd for them to go off on their own and to be gone this long.

He felt the familiar tingle at the back of his head, which meant El was watching him. He couldn’t ever see the things she saw but could always feel when she was watching him. The tingle ended as abruptly as it started. She was gone, which perturbed him a little and made him worry more. Why would she reach out and then cut it off as if she was hiding something? 

_No, you’re not doing this. It’s nothing. Control your emotions. It’s a good day._

He cleared the bad thoughts with an exhale and went out to the carport where the grill was already smoking. Dustin walked out with him to keep him company. He placed all the meats on the grill and gave the pan to Dustin to take it back inside. He came back a minute later, carrying the bags of buns so he wouldn’t need to go back in later.

After a minute or so of standing there, Dustin spoke with a somber, almost sad, look on his face, “Will?”

“Yeah, man.” He was absent mindedly poking at the hamburger patties with his tongs.

“Are you sure everything is ok? You guys are acting kind of funny today. Not bad or anything, just a little…off.”

“Yeah, I’m ok.” No lies, it’s Dustin. “I did have an episode at the arcade yesterday. It was a rough day, but I am all better now.”

“That’s good. Is that what’s going on with Mike and El?”

Will gave a half shrug, “I’m really not sure. Yesterday freaked him out a little. That could be what they are talking about. You know how he gets.”

“Super protective, especially of you.”

He fought the blush but couldn’t stop the smile.

“Yeah.” The talk put his focus back on the pair upstairs. The worry returned. Moments later he felt El reach out again. She sent warm, positive thoughts at him, which made him feel better. That was her way of saying everything was ok and for him not to worry. He smiled again, sending the same emotions back. She faded away gradually this time, not the abrupt cut off like a few minutes earlier. 

“Hey, get those buns ready, these are almost done.” He took everything off the grill and they went inside.

* * *

 

Not long after they got back to the table, El came down the stairs.

“About time. What was going on up there?” Dustin was displaying his goofy smile.

“Just talking, Dustin.” She looked at Will and gave him a big reassuring smile.

“So that’s what you kids call it now.” The goofy grin got bigger.

El huffed “Talking Dustin, just talking. Drop it or I’ll actually make you piss your pants this time.”

The grin disappeared instantly. “Just kidding’, jeez. So sensitive.”

They all had a good laugh. Mike came downstairs a few minutes later. He looked a little distressed but seemed to shift into a better mood once he got involved in the conversation. Everyone started filling plates with food, and scattered to spots in the living room, or at the table, to eat.

Will was right behind Mike dressing his burger, “Everything ok?”

Mike turned around, “Yeah, all good, we were just chatting. No big deal.”

Will nodded, knowing it couldn’t have been so casual. Now was obviously not the time to pry further. Mike would talk about it when he felt the time was right.

“Ok, cool” There was a bit of question in his voice, although he wasn’t sure Mike picked up on it.

About that time a familiar tune came from the TV. The video for “You Might Think” was playing. Both boys couldn’t help but look at each other with big grins, as they remembered what happened at the pool that morning. It eased any remaining tension, and they both sat down to enjoy the food and company.

* * *

 

After they finished eating and let their food settle, the sun was just starting to go down. They went back out to the pool and had another quick swim before starting the movie. It was more subdued this time, consisting of everyone just relaxing in the water and talking.

Lucas and Dustin were excited about the lake tomorrow. They had rigged up a zip line like the one at camp, only scaled down. They were planning on setting it up to let everyone get a little experience of what they had done the last couple of weeks. They were all looking forward to trying it out.

Max got out and went over to check her watch. “Hey its almost 8:30, if we are watching a movie then we need to start it now. Hopper is picking us up at 11.”

They were all tired of the water and worn out, so the movie sounded like a great idea. Everyone got out of the water and dried off. El and Max grabbed their bags and ran upstairs to change. The four boys would use the basement to do the same.

After they were all ready, everyone took up their customary spots. Dustin on his floppy bean bag chair, Max and Lucas sharing the small loveseat, and El and Will on the couch. Mike went over and set up the TV and plugged “The Lost Boys” into the VCR.

El usually sat between Will and Mike, she would use one of them as a shield to hide behind during horror movies. When he turned to go sit down, El had grabbed the end seat closest to Dustin, pulling Will to the middle spot. El sat there, looking innocent, having a quiet chat with Dustin. When Mike came to sit down, Will scooted closer to the middle and stretched his legs out straight to get comfortable. He was holding the enormous bowl of popcorn that the girls made while they were upstairs.

Mike knew that El sat in Will’s normal seat on purpose, all because of what he told her earlier. He didn’t know if he should be irritated or happy to have her “help” in sitting next to Will. He gave her a quick glare, flopped down into the corner seat and grabbed a handful of popcorn. The seating arrangement made him happy. Anytime he could sit or be closer to Will was a good thing.

Earlier, in the pool, he tried to corner El whenever he could and kept asking her who it was that Will liked. She would just smile and avoid him. Every chance he got, he would throw out a name to her so no one else could hear. He tried to pick girls that he had seen Will talk to or spend time with. There weren’t many he could think of, but she still shook her head no every time. He grew tired of the childish game and moved on. He knew that he shouldn’t be acting that way. If Will wanted him to know then he would tell him. They were still best friends, so he needed to just focus on that and be happy.

Neither boy was paying much attention to the movie. They were both focused on each other and trying their best not to show it. Occasionally they would bump legs, letting them touch a little longer than normal or Mike would lean in and get popcorn, lingering a few seconds longer than necessary to get a handful. Will even pulled his legs up and sat cross legged for a few minutes with his knee resting on Mike’s outstretched thigh. 

The movie came to an end, and Mike reached over to turn the lights on. Dustin and Lucas were both fast asleep and had been for a good portion of the movie. Dustin was spread eagle on the bean bag chair, lightly snoring. Lucas was leaned back against Max with his chin to his chest and his arms crossed. Max was trapped under him, so she gently started coaxing him awake. His eyes fluttered open and when he realized where he was, he moved so Max could get up. He leaned down and held his head in his hands.

“I’m so exhausted. Mike, listen, I know we were supposed to stay over tonight, and I really want to but…”

“Lucas, it’s ok. You’ve been gone for a long time and I know I would miss my bed, too. Go home and get some good sleep.”

“Thanks for understanding, Mike. I will definitely be staying tomorrow night.”

“Can’t wait.” The old Mike would have been angry and upset at the change of plans. He had grown up a lot and knew everything would be better tomorrow if he got a good night’s rest.

Dustin had also woken up while they were talking. “That goes double for me. I'm working on five hours of sleep and my bed is screaming my name.”

Everyone started gathering their things. Someone rang the front doorbell twice, startling them a little.

“That would be dad.” El knew he would be on time or early to check on everyone. They all went upstairs at the same time. Mike opened the door and let the police chief in.

“What’s up kid?” The chief was clean shaven now and wearing casual summer clothes. It was odd not seeing him in the uniform.

“Hey, Hop, they are upstairs getting all their stuff.” Mike shook his hand. A proper greeting for Hop, as he wasn’t much of a hugger.

“Ok good. Hey, welcome home you two. Did you have a good time?” He addressed Lucas and Dustin.

Both boys gave a wave and a hello back, “Yeah it was a lot of fun. I’m sure you’ll hear all about it soon.”

The big man nodded, “How was the pool party?”

“A lot of fun, everyone is really tired and ready to go home, though.” Mike sounded a little sad.

“The sun and swimming will do that.” He looked at Will and pointed, “So, Will, are you coming home, too?”

Mike looked back at him with a little worry, hoping beyond hope that Will would stay.

“Nah, I want to stay here. Can’t leave Mike alone.” He smiled broadly at him.

Relief washed over Mike. It was that same familiar feeling that came over him every time he saw Will after being apart.

“Ok then, call your mom, you know she worries.”

Will nodded, “Ok, first thing in the morning. I promise.”

The two girls came back downstairs, carrying all their stuff. They said their goodbyes, then Lucas and Dustin walked them all the way out to the truck.

Mike shut and locked the front door, leaving the porch light on until both vehicles pulled out of the driveway. He turned to Will.

“Thanks for staying. I was really afraid you were going to go, too.”

“They would have to drag me out of here. Not leaving you alone anymore until your folks come home.” He said it with that soft, sweet smile that Mike loved so much.

“Sounds awesome to me, being alone sucks. I’m going to go shut the pool down for the night. You want to sleep in the basement or bedroom? I really don’t care which.” Mike always gave Will the choice of where to sleep when it was just the two of them. Most of the time, Will always chose bedroom, especially since Mike had the bigger bed now.

“Bedroom, for sure. I slept on the couch last night and I need to sleep in a good bed. I’m going to take a quick shower while you do the pool.”

“Ok, I’ll take one after you.”

He ran downstairs and cleaned up outside, then turned all the lights, filter and pump off. He grabbed anything related to food from the basement and stashed stuff away in the kitchen. When he got back upstairs, Will was in his room drying off, wearing only his boxers.

“You all done?”

“Yep, all yours.”

He took a short shower and got ready for bed, then walked back into his room to find Will snuggled under the blankets, knocked out. He felt a spark of disappointment but couldn’t be upset after looking at Will’s peaceful face. He knew that for Will to drop out that fast meant that he was exhausted. They had a big, busy day and he was feeling the exhaustion, too. He would just miss the pre-sleep talk that they often shared.

As he was walking over to climb in his bed, he noticed something odd about his desk. His big hardback dictionary was laying in the middle of it with a bright orange sticky note sticking out of the pages. It was obvious that it was left there intentionally, so he walked over and picked it up. The note was written in El’s familiar block letters, with a black marker:

_Goodnight, Mikey_

Underneath the words was arrow pointing down, so he opened the large book to see the rest.

_Love, E & M_

The arrow continued downward to the bottom of the sticky note, leading his eyes to a highlighted word and definition on the page.

 

**Oblivious**   _adjective_  /əˈblɪv·i·əs/

_not aware of or not noticing something, esp. what is happening around you._

 

He rolled his eyes and frowned, wondering why they would have left this note. He understood he was oblivious sometimes. He didn’t need them to leave him a note reminding him of that. Max and Dustin called him out on it often, especially when he didn’t get jokes or understand why someone was acting strange. He tried to make himself more conscious of other people and his surroundings, but it was just part of who he was.

The strange thing about the note was that it was written by El and signed by both. El had never said anything about him being that way before, why would she have been the one to write the note. It would have made more sense coming only from Max. He shook his head, too tired to think about it in depth right now.

He turned off all the lights and crawled into bed beside Will, who seemed to be in a deep sleep. The boy was laying on his side facing the middle of the bed, still as a stone. Mike laid on his side facing Will. He could see his chest lifting and falling as he breathed in through lips parted just enough to let air in. His expression was one of peace, with no worry at all on his face. The opposite of what he was at the arcade yesterday. He still wasn’t sure how the dance worked but seeing him like this made him understand why they did it.

_He’s so beautiful when he’s like this. I wish I could just tell him._

Mike wanted to wrap his arms around him and stay like that all night but knew he couldn’t act on that impulse. He had to control his urges around Will, no matter how strong they were. It didn’t take long for sleep to overtake him. The last thing he saw before fading was Will’s perfect face. The last thought he had was El’s voice repeating the words:  _special...more there...like me...oblivious._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thanks for sticking with me so far. I will get another update in as soon as I can. 
> 
> I would love to hear from you guys. Please leave a comment!
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	6. The Push-Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can Mike and Will figure it out their relationship on their own? The party takes a day trip.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoy this chapter. I'm so glad to finally be back and posting again. Warning: This chapter contains detailed description of a serious injury. I tried to keep it PG but wanted to post the warning just in case. Please see the end notes.

 

Sunday July 3rd, 1988

 

Hawkins was unusually quiet this Sunday morning. The only people with any reason to be up and moving around were either the religious, preparing for morning church, or older residents going through the same rituals they had been doing for decades. Most people were either out of town for the holiday or sleeping in, the way it should be on a summer Sunday. Only the occasional car driving slowly through town or the sporadic bark of a lone dog broke the peaceful silence. It was one of those dogs barking that woke Will Byers out of his slumber.

Will hadn’t slept well for years. All his family and friends knew it and they all tried to help him, but it was a lost cause. He eventually learned to deal with it in his own way. He spent many of his sleepless hours drawing, even though inspiration is difficult to find when you are frustrated and tired. Every now and then he would find a spark and spend the whole night perfecting one project. On several occasions, he found himself so completely absorbed into a project that he would look up to see daylight filtering through the blinds covering his bedroom window.

He wasn’t sure why, but he always seemed to sleep better when he stayed at the Wheeler’s. When he slept in Mike’s room, to be more precise. It was as if there was a magical barrier around it, keeping all the familiar fears and worries from invading his mind and interrupting his sleep. This night had been no exception to that rule. He had slept sound and for a long time, at least for him it was long.

The barking canine brought him back to consciousness a little before 8 o’clock. With a deep inhale, his eyes opened to something he wished he could wake up to every morning: the peaceful, sleeping face of Mike Wheeler a few inches away.

In life, there are few moments that one can describe as perfect. For Will, this was one of them, he would lock it away and remember these minutes for the rest of his life. He laid perfectly still, barely breathing, hoping…desiring this moment to last if possible, drinking in all the close-up detail he could: Dark brown locks of hair messy from sleeping and just long enough to reach Mike’s closed eyes, sleep chapped lips, parted just enough to allow in each deep breath, his nostrils ever so slightly flaring with each intake of air. Will studied his freckles, looking for patterns in the beautiful chaos concentrated across his nose, and high on each cheek. He admired the dark beginnings of facial hair growing down his jawline and across his chin, making him look older, foreshadowing the man he would soon be.

It was an understatement to say that Will was infatuated. He could spend every moment with Mike, and simply not have enough. He had always loved him in his own special way, but lately the feelings had become different…stronger. He couldn’t really describe what the change was or what caused it. He could call it love, but that was like saying the sun was just yellow or sky was simply blue. It was sad that those four letters were the best that the English language had to describe something that was so complex and powerful.

He fought the desire to reach out and touch Mike’s face. To run his fingers through the soft, slightly matted hair. To caress his cheeks, sliding his fingers down to his chin, feeling the roughness of that alluring stubble. Touching those lips, first with his fingers, then exploring them with his own. He often dreamed of what kissing him would be like, even though he knew such things would alter and harm their relationship. He was happy and couldn’t bear the thought of Mike being angry with him or shunning him because of his changing feelings.

After a few minutes, Mike’s breathing changed. He shifted, rolling over onto his back and turning his head the opposite way. Will frowned as the moment passed, but the memory would always be with him. It reminded him of Gordie, the main character in Stand by Me, one of his favorite movies. In one scene, the boy was reading a comic book and was startled by a deer that looked him in the eye for several seconds. The deer soon bolted, but the moment was locked in his memory. It was magical, and Gordie never told anyone about seeing the deer until he wrote the narration for the story. This moment had been the same for Will. He may never tell anyone about what just happened with Mike, but he would always have that perfect piece of time that only belonged to him.

Then Mike started snoring, ending the magic completely. Will smiled, sighed deeply and slipped out of the bed, trying his best not to disturb him. He walked softly to the bathroom to relieve himself and decided he may as well take a quick shower. After, he went back to Mike’s room, sat down at the desk and took out his sketch pad and pencils. Along with his drawer in the dresser, he also had a personal spot in the desk to keep some of his art stuff handy.

He leaned back in the old office chair, procured by Mike when the Post acquired new ones for its senior staff members, propped up his feet, using his lap as a desk, and began drawing. He started with train tracks running through a forested background, planning on recreating the scene from Stand by Me. He worked quickly, inspired by his earlier moment. As it was with most of his art, the drawing developed a mind of its own. Will knew what he wanted to draw then let his impulses and thoughts mold the picture into his vision.

He didn’t even realize that he had been drawing Mike as the boy reading the comic book until he was almost finished. The figure in the picture had Mike’s long thin build, and just barely revealed the contours of the left side of his face. The hair and clothing were unmistakably him. Long wavy hair that hung almost to his shoulders that more resembled his look from two years earlier, the ever-present striped shirt and backwards Chicago Bears hat completed the portrait. Will placed his pencil on the desk, then used his thumb to smudge some of the pencil marks and shading. Lastly, he held up the completed picture for a final inspection.

“Is that me?” Will snapped his head around, eyes wide with surprise. He saw Mike still lying in bed, propped up on one elbow. He lowered the picture, his other arm came up automatically, shielding his work the same way a mother would protect their child.

Mike had been watching him for several minutes from his spot on the bed. Will was completely absorbed into the drawing, tongue sticking out and head tilting from one side to the other, which was normal when he was hyper-concentrated. Mike was enjoying watching him work, wishing now he hadn’t said anything at all.

His eyes sagged, sad and apologetic, “I’m sorry Will, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Will lowered his arm slowly, his initial fright slipping away. He smiled softly, “It’s ok, I just didn’t realize you were awake. I should have known when the snoring stopped.”

“I don’t snore.” Mike was offended for about the hundredth time on the subject.

Will chuckled and shook his head, eyes staying on his drawing. “Yes, you do. Everyone’s heard it.” He said it confidently. The argument was endless and on-going. Mike just gave a short laugh and shook his head while Will scrawled his usual mark, a cursive W.B., at the bottom right corner of the page.

A comfortable silence draped across the room for a few moments. Will looking down at his work, Mike’s eyes locked on Will.

“So, is it…me?” Mike asked again, quieter this time, wishing he had waited before blurting it out the first time.

Will looked at the drawing again. He always saw the flaws first, but he recognized when something was good. He was proud of this one. Almost all his work that he felt similar about involved elements of his loved ones. The one of Jonathan taking photographs of the sunset over the quarry lake, the drawing of his Mom and Hopper dancing at the Wheeler’s Christmas party two years ago, both were framed and hanging in the Byers’ living room for his mom to show off. His best work happened spontaneously, just as this one did.

“Will?”

He looked into questioning eyes, realizing that he never answered him out loud. He nodded, “Yeah, it is you. I hope that’s ok.”

“You hope it’s ok?” He laughed. “It’s not just ok, it’s an honor. I mean, you’ve drawn me before, but that one is amazing. Not me…I’m not amazing, the drawing is. The picture of me is awesome…not just the me part, all of it.” Mike was stumbling over his words again. That seemed to be happening a lot lately.

“So, what you’re saying, is that you might like it a little.” He said it through a smile, enjoying the attention.

“Yes, Byers, I like it…a lot.” Grinning back.

“I’d love for you to have it then, you can add it to your collection.” He passed it over. Mike took it gently into his hands, as if he was holding a new born puppy.

“No, this is way too good to go into the binder. Are you sure you want me to have it? This is like art show quality. It’s even better than that picture of Jonathan you drew.”

Will felt the heat rise in his cheeks at the compliment, “Yes, I really want you to have it. The inspiration for something should always get dibs on owning it.”

It was Mike’s turn to blush, “Inspiration?” He choked a little at the end of the word, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed hard.

He looked down, studying the portrait for some time, seeming to gather his thoughts and compose himself before he spoke again. “All that hair though, I don’t miss it at all.”

“It’s you from a couple of years ago. I kind of liked the long hair.” Of course, Will had felt the emotion of that moment as well. He sensed that Mike was trying his best to cover up his feelings. He also understood why, and played along, not wanting to cause any reaction they might feel uncomfortable about later.

“It was such a hassle to deal with, I have no regrets about cutting it off. I’ll grow it back out if you go back to the bowl cut.” He was talking easier again, normal.

Will balked, “Ha, no way, at least the long hair doesn’t make anyone cringe. I can’t believe I left it like that until I was 14. I didn’t know any better.”

Mike stood up, still cradling the drawing and carefully laid it on top of the dictionary with the orange post it notes El and Max left him still stuck to it. “It was cute. Besides, you got your first girlfriend while you had it that way.” He turned around and pulled his sheets and blankets up in a half-hearted attempt to make his bed while wearing a know-it-all smile.

Will laughed, “It was also the first thing she changed about me, so that argument is bullshit!” He continued the light-hearted play argument. Then he noticed something on the desk. He placed his finger on the scrap receipt paper that was inscribed with seven numbers. “We could show some old pictures to Melanie from Georgia and see what she thinks about your luscious locks. She liked what she saw yesterday, and you kept her number, sooo…”

“I kept it to give to Dustin!” His voice rose an octave, defensive and playful.

“And yet, here it lies!” Will was laughing, it was fun gaining the upper hand on Mike in the back and forth.

“I forgot, I’ll give it to him today! Besides, you’re the one who brought her up. Maybe you should give her a ca…” His last word was cut off when Will launched out of the chair and tackled him to the bed, laughing.

Mike yelped in surprise, and immediately moved to flip him over, trying to pin him down. This launched them into an impromptu, free for all wrestling match. Mike was bigger and stronger, and could move Will around however he wanted, but Will being smaller and quicker used the clumsier methods of his friend to his advantage. Mike would out muscle him, pinning him to the bed, thinking he had won, but Will was tenacious, like a badger, and would attack any soft or sensitive spot to make the taller boy give up his position of power. A pinch to the back arm, a poke to the ribs, or thumb pressed into the ultra-sensitive tendon behind the knee. Mike would squeal in pain, and move to protect those spots, giving Will the opportunity to climb out of each pin. 

They rarely wrestled like this anymore, even though it was commonplace for boys their age, and both were having an absolute blast doing it. All the grunts and sounds of pain were accompanied by familiar insults and demands.

“Fight fair, dwarf!”

“Deal with it frog face! At least I don’t have to dodge ceiling fans!”

“Tell me if this one hurts!” followed by a muffled scream

“Did Holly teach you how to fight!”

This went on for several minutes. Both boys were fully charged from the night’s sleep, but wrestling hard like this quickly wears one down. They were both growing tired, trying harder to get the other to give up. Mike grabbed Will’s legs and flipped him over, climbing on top, trying to get him to tap out. He had Will underneath him, now at a bad disadvantage. Will lashed out and grabbed hold of Mike’s little toe and started twisting. It was the same one he hurt on the stair rail yesterday morning. Mike let out a little scream, trying his best to twist and kick out of the hold. He couldn’t take anymore, especially on the already sore spot.

He slapped the bed with his open palm, indicating surrender. “I give up, I give up! You win!” Will released the tender digit and Mike flopped on his back, his arms stretched out above his head, “I give up…my toe…oh my god, it hurt so bad.” He was out of breath, chest pumping, heart racing.

Will was on his knees, just beside Mike on the bed. He raised his arms above his head, “Victory!”, then he fell face first into the blankets, parallel to his best friend, his right arm draped playfully across Mike’s chest.

They both laid there for several minutes, completely still, catching their breath and letting heartbeats slow to normal. Will turned his head toward Mike so he could breathe easier. He hadn’t moved and was still staring at the ceiling, seemingly lost in thought. Will was only a few inches away, close enough to catch the smell of Mike’s deodorant mixed with the more intoxicating essence that was all him, made so much stronger by their recent activity. His heart, that had just started to slow down, ticked back up a notch. He wouldn’t be able to take much of that, so he rolled to his side, still facing Mike, moving far enough away to make it bearable. For some reason, he didn’t move his arm completely, but stopped with his palm resting flat on his abdomen, in the divot right between his chest and stomach.

Several seconds passed, then Mike turned to face him, his shiny, dark eyes looking straight into Will’s. His eyebrow twitched with a mixture of wonder and surprise.

Right then, Will knew he had exposed himself and made it clear what his feelings were. He felt naked and vulnerable under that deep, beautiful brown gaze. He swallowed hard, scared to blink, unable to read what was going on behind those eyes. He could feel Mike’s pulse accelerate under the sensitive pads of his fingertips.

Mike held the gaze for what seemed like an eternity, then his eyes glanced down for just a moment. His chest muscles tensed under Will’s hand then relaxed again, almost like he thought about sitting up or leaning Will’s way.

“Will...” It came out a strained whisper, the same kind of whisper that sometimes happens when a hoarse voice breaks. He stopped speaking, now looking lost and scared.

Will’s nervousness ramped up, his mind refusing to function. He was holding his breath. Then Mike’s eyes changed, narrowing in determination. He licked his lips and his body tensed under Will’s hand again. He made a slight move, closing the gap between them.

The moment he started moving, the ancient rotary phone on his desk exploded into an extremely loud, obnoxious ring, causing both boys to jump like startled cats. The hand that had been laying on Mike’s chest shot to cover Will’s exposed ear. Mike vaulted off the bed, full of adrenalin, and ripped the phone out of the wall hoping to end the horrible noise. It did not have the desired effect because the other phones in the house kept ringing. He bolted out the door and went to pick up the line in Nancy’s room.

“Hello!”

He said it fast and loud, sounding almost angry. The person on the other end must have said something about his tone.

“Sorry Max, the phone scared me, I didn’t mean to yell.”

Will sat up, eyes wide and breathing heavy, his heart thrumming in his chest with almost no space between each beat. His nerves had already been on fire from what was happening, so the sudden shot of adrenaline almost short circuited his whole system. It took a few moments for his heartbeat to return to a rate that was slower than a jackhammer. His mind was racing, trying to process what just happened. He had really fucked up, but everything that led up to that last moment had stoked his hormones into a raging fire. Feeling another sweaty body against his, rolling and twisting like they were little again. Then lying next to him, breathing in that pure essence that was so uniquely Mike. To someone else it may not have smelled so sweet, but to Will it had been heavenly. It was the reason he didn’t want to break the touch. The magic of the moment washed his caution away, letting desire take over.

Will had wanted to kiss him in the worst way. He thought for just a second that Mike was about to lean in and give him what he desired most. Then the damn phone rang, the evil device driving an icy dagger into the heart of the moment. He would never know if that’s what Mike had also wanted. Just like earlier this morning, that point in time passed and was gone, now only a memory.

The desire cooled, and common sense was establishing a foothold again. He only hoped and prayed that there wouldn’t be any anger or weirdness between them.

“Will.” He jumped a little as Mike’s voice snapped him out of the daydream. He was holding Nancy’s cordless phone to his chest.

“Yeah?”

“El, wants to speak with you,” he handed the phone over. “I’m going to jump in the shower super quick. Lucas and Dustin should be here shortly.” Will could swear that he looked almost disappointed. He thought that maybe he was reading the situation completely wrong. After all, he was a basket case of crazy hormones and emotions. He decided to let the situation take its natural course and just do all the things he was supposed to do and try to act normal.

“Ok,” He took the phone and placed to his ear after Mike turned and walked into the bathroom. “Hey El.”

 _“What just happened? Are you ok?”_ She sounded distressed and upset.

“Yes, I’m fine. The phone scared me. It was really quiet, and the ring was super loud.” He wasn’t ready to give her any details of what happened.

_“That’s it, are you sure? It felt way worse than just a little thing like that!”_

She was prying too far and he did not want to do this with her right now, so he spoke before he had time to consider the consequence of his words. “Eleven, you remember that conversation we had a few months ago about boundaries? You told me that there might be a time when I would need you to back off and let me handle some things on my own. I love you and will always need you, but this is that time. I am ok, I was just scared for a minute. Please let it go.” He was as nice and consoling as he could possibly be. He knew she was extremely protective of him and that what he just said might have hurt her, especially if he came off as mean or angry.

She was silent for several moments. He didn’t know if he should be terrified or apologetic. Just as he opened his mouth to say something, she spoke up. “ _Ok, I was just worried. I’m sorry Will. I’ll give you some space.”_

“You’re not mad at me?”

_“No, I think I understand. Just know that if you ever need to talk or need me for anything else, all you have to do is reach out.”_

She may not have been angry, but still sounded a little hurt. He tried to smooth it over, at least as much as he could over the phone, “I know El, maybe we can talk about it soon, just not right now. Were you guys calling for a ride? It’s almost time to go.” He changed the subject, attempting to avoid any more awkwardness.

“ _No. Jonathan and Nancy wanted to come with us today. We were calling to make sure you guys were ok with that. Mike said he was fine with it. We are going to ride to the lake with them.”_

“Oh, ok, that will be perfect. I’ll get to spend some time with Jonathan.” Will was genuinely happy that his brother and Nancy would be at their outing. He had only got to spend thirty minutes with him and needed to see him more.

“ _Steve and Jason are coming, too. Almost the whole family will be there. Mom and Dad are still at the cabin, they aren’t coming back until tomorrow for the fireworks. Don’t forget to call her, by the way”_ She still sounded a little mechanical. He knew she was hurt by what he said, he would need to speak to her in person to make sure she understood, he just wasn’t sure how much information he wanted to give her right now.

“I will before we leave. Today is going to be great. I’ll see you there.” He tried sounding happy, hoping it would be contagious.

“ _Ok, see you soon. Bye Will_.” She said in a slightly flat tone. The phone clicked before he could respond.

It usually made him smile when she ended conversations abruptly, not so much this time. He hated that he had hurt her with his words, but she would understand once she knew the truth, whenever he chose to tell her. The talk with her had helped cool down his heated feelings from earlier. The ability to think rationally was returning.

He got up and straightened out Mike’s bed, which was torn up from their wrestling. Then he stripped off his boxers and retrieved another pair of his swimming shorts out of his drawer. His usual pair was still hanging in the basement, unwashed, so he grabbed an older one that was a little smaller. They fit but were a little snug. He slid them on and then grabbed a t-shirt out of the closet, the black Misfits shirt that he had given Mike last year. He didn’t really listen to the band, they were too much for his tastes, but the shirt was cool with its horror film font and skeleton face.

Going through the motions of getting ready was making him feel a little more relaxed. He tended to think things worse than they really were. He went over to the dresser, stood in front of the mirror and looked into his own eyes.

_It wasn’t anything really, just a moment. Nothing really happened._

He grimaced at the lie he was trying to tell himself.

_Then explain getting all handsy with your best friend, dumb ass._

He closed his eyes and sighed deeply. There was no way to explain that part. The only good thing that he could think was that Mike didn’t seem to be upset. He was not happy about the phone ringing either. He glanced over at the desk where Mike had slammed the phone after ripping the cord out of the wall. There was a small rip in the wall paper where the remnants of the cord were hanging out.

He started to piece together some of the events of the last few days: Mike stumbling over his words several times, their little dance by the pool and getting tangled in the vacuum hose. All the innocent touches during the movie last night. The way he supported Will at the mall after his vision, not wanting to let him go when they got to the car or in his bedroom. It all led him to believe, to hope, that maybe there were mutual feelings.

He was still worried that he was pushing for something that only he wanted, that he was putting his wants ahead of Mike’s. He knew that he received special treatment and consideration from his friend. He had always been careful not to take advantage of that part of Mike’s personal code. Will truly thought of him as the protector and leader. For so long, he was the smallest and weakest member of the party, he was always protected and taken up for, shielded by his friends from those who sought him out as prey. Now he was as big and strong as all three of the others. He just assumed that Mike’s nature still extended that protection and care out of habit. Maybe now it was something else. He looked back into the mirror.

_You should have just kissed him._

He laughed at the absurdity of the thought.

Mr. Clarke had often taught the boys about things beyond what were in the school’s normal curriculum. Mike and Lucas were drawn toward the more concrete and structured elements of science, things you could see, touch or smell, they were also both mathematical. Dustin and Will were partial to the fringe disciplines of science. The theoretical and unproven were where their interests lay.  Will, singlehandedly, almost drove Mr. Clarke crazy with his unending questions and theories on time travel and paradox.

The idea of kissing Mike was his own personal paradox. If they had kissed earlier, then their relationship would be irreparably changed for the good, or for the bad. He was terrified of the bad. He needed Mike in the same way that he needed his mother and brother, he was family. But Will also desired more. He wanted the hugs, kisses and handholding. Desperately wanted the relationship that other people got to have with the person they loved. He wanted them to be _in_ love with each other. Unfortunately, he couldn’t have both brother and boyfriend. Thus, he was still stuck in the endless loop of frustrating paradox.

Now he had a headache.

He was so deep in thought that he didn’t hear the bathroom door open.

He caught movement behind him in the reflection and turned around to the object of his thoughts walking into the bedroom, still wet from the shower and wearing nothing but a white towel wrapped around his waist. Mike's hair was a curly damp mess, drops of water beading on his back and shoulders, which were slightly pink, either from the hot water or a little sunburned from yesterday. The fresh smell of soap and the familiar cologne he had been wearing for years rushed Will’s senses a few seconds later.

Will, for the life of him, couldn’t remember any of what he had been thinking a minute ago. He had to consciously force his mouth closed, making sure not to do his best Jacob Marley impression as he surveyed his friend from feet to face, spending a little extra time in the middle.

When his eyes finally got to Mike’s face, he was greeted with a little wry smile and impish eyes. “Hi.”

_Busted! Dammit!_

The heat bloomed in his cheeks, he could only imagine the shade of red his face must be.

“H…hey! Sorry.”

“Sorry for what?”

_Oh god, why did I say sorry_

“Nothing, I just said it for no reason…just...stupid.” _Jesus Will!_

“Oh, ok,” Mike turned and grabbed a swimsuit from a drawer. While his back was still turned, he spoke again, “So, I never took you for a narcissist before.”

“Huh?”

Mike’s smile returned, “You were staring in the mirror, I’ve never seen you do that before.” He chuckled, apparently amused with Will’s actions.

“Oh, yeah…I was...checking for zits.” Another lie. Will had never had a pimple or anything like it in his life.

“Oh…ok.” He said it again, this time with a slightly perplexed look that dissolved quickly. “Can you do me a favor while I get dressed?”

“Of course, anything.” _Only if I can stay and watch!_

_Stop it, pervert._

Will imagined a little angel and devil on each shoulder, one panting like a dog and the other looking judgmental with arms crossed. It made his internal dialogue seem less like insanity.

“Can you go get the coolers from the basement and put a bag of ice in each? I’ll meet you in the kitchen in a few minutes to help get the rest.”

“Sure man, no problem.” He got up and walked out of the room. Smiling at the thought of the tiny angel squirting the devil with a water hose.

Once again, their first interaction after what his mind made a tense situation went better than he expected. Mike didn’t seem to be angry or acting different, other than being amused by Will’s obvious ogling. He knew that the two of them couldn’t keep having encounters like this without some sort of action, they really needed to talk about it at some point.

_Not talking! That’s so boring. There are so many more creative ways to use your mouth!_

The little devil, googly eyed and still dripping with water, was back.

Will shook the thought out of his head and exhaled deeply. He wasn’t ready for that yet, even if things somehow worked out between them. He went downstairs to call his mom and get ready for their trip to the lake.

* * *

 

Mike (moments earlier)

Mike was coming unglued, falling apart.

He had just walked into the bathroom after handing the cordless phone off to Will and was staring at himself in the mirror.

_What…the…fuck!_

He ran a hand through the thickest part of his hair, pulling at it in frustration, trying to wrap his head around what just happened.

He had been caught up in yet another intense moment with Will. Mike was trying his best to handle his feelings without offending or overreaching, doing something he might regret. He didn’t know if he could do that anymore. It didn’t help that Will seemed to be throwing out all the right signs. His actions suggested that he might have those feelings, too. He was having a tough time separating Will’s usual behavior from the new, different way he had been acting the last few days.

The events of this morning had been the most intense of them all. First waking up to see Will super concentrated on his drawing, only to find out it had been a portrait of him. He was so impressed and honored to be the object of his inspiration. Then he gave it to him! It was probably the best sketch Will had ever done and he handed it over without any hesitation, simply because Mike liked it. He planned on having it framed so he could hang it in his room.

Then they had wrestled, playing like little kids again. It wasn’t abnormal for them to do that from time to time, it was just less often than it used to be. Hadn’t happened since Mike realized he had feelings for Will. Of course, he had thoroughly enjoyed the contact and the feel of Will’s body up against his. It seemed so much more personal this time, his thoughts had centered on the touching and not winning the contest, hoping it would last.

He would never forget what happened next. After he conceded, Will had fallen beside him with an arm draped across Mike’s chest. It had been nice, but it was just normal everyday contact that was typical for Will. What came next was extraordinary, part of the new behavior. All he could remember was the warm hand sliding across his midsection and coming to rest on that sensitive spot just above his belly. Will’s fingers lingering there, hot as fire against his skin. His heart started racing and his insides fluttered with a nervousness that was borderline nausea.

He could vividly remember Will’s eyes. At first, they were wide and scared, like a child who got caught touching something forbidden. Then they changed. While still a little fearful they also showed determination and a little bit of something else that surprised him the most…desire.

_Why is he doing this to me? If he only knew…_

Mike didn’t know what to do, so he tried speaking for some odd reason, but only managed to croak his name out in a weird whisper. The ability to speak then abandoned him completely.

Mike lost himself in the moment. He still didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t just lay there, it wasn’t in his character to not _do_ something. Was this the moment he had been waiting for? Instinct kicked in. He broke eye contact and looked down at Will’s lips. Thin and pink, slightly parted, revealing just a sliver of his front teeth. Kissing him was all he wanted, there were no other thoughts or concerns in his head. His eyes were blind to everything else except for what was there in front of him, all his concerns and worry evaporated. He decided to go for it and started to lean in…

The phone ringing might have been the single worst noise that he had ever heard. Not even the primal roar of Demogorgon compared at that moment. He didn’t remember jumping out of the bed, all he could recall was the immediate thought of removing the phone from existence. He did remember hearing the ring continue after he brutally ripped the offensive device from the wall in an adrenaline-fueled rage, leaving a jagged rip where the cord came from. He ran into Nancy’s room, the next closest phone, and picked up the line almost yelling the standard greeting. Luckily, it hadn’t been one of his parents or someone who would have been offended with his tone.

_“Damn, Wheeler, what the hell!? Why are you yelling, did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed or something?”_

“Sorry Max, the phone scared me. I didn’t mean to yell.”

_“What do you mean the phone…? Never mind, are you ok?”_

“Yeah, I’m…fine. I’ll be ok.”

 _“You don’t sound so sure, Mike.”_ Her tone got a little more serious.

He closed his eyes, trying to gather his wits to get through this conversation. He couldn’t slip up and reveal any of this to her or anyone. Well, maybe El, since she already knew. “I’m really ok now, I promise.”

_“Ok, well, I was calling to run something by you, to see if it was alright.”_

“Sure, what’s up?”

_“Jonathan and Nancy want to come today, Steve and Jason, too. Is it ok if they all tag along?”_

“Yeah sure. Why would you have to ask me that?”

 _“Just checking, this was you guys’ idea and I didn’t want to assume it was ok.”_ He heard the door open in the background and El saying something he couldn’t make out. Then he heard a rustling and Max answering her, but it was muffled like she was holding her hand over the phone.

“Max?”

_“Yeah, sorry. El wants to speak with Will. She seems upset. Are you sure everything is ok over there?”_

“Yes, everything is fine, but I know how she gets. I don’t care who comes today.” He stood up from sitting on Nancy’s bed and walked to give the phone to Will.

_“Cool, I will tell them. We will just ride over with them. See you there!”_

“Bye Max.” He heard the phone rustle again, he assumed it was her handing the phone to El. He didn’t really want to talk to anyone else right now, so he went to his room and handed the phone off to Will and told him he was taking a shower.

This brought him back to the present, looking at a crazy haired, wide eyed weirdo in the bathroom mirror. He was currently trying to decide between taking a shower and bashing his head through the wall beside that mirror. He wisely chose a shower of the long and hot variety, trying his best to wash away the stress and tension caused by a simple phone ringing.

He let the water wash over him until it ran cold. He wasn’t ready for it to end, but the cold water was way worse than facing the rest of the day. He tried to psych himself up to face Will, desperately hoping that the other boy wouldn’t want to talk about what happened or be upset that it did. He decided to go with a normal approach.

_Yes, acting like nothing happened is always the best way to attack uncomfortable situations._

He fell into his familiar sarcasm whenever he was seeking comfort from crazy situations. Usually those type of things didn’t involve Will. He knew it was cowardly of him, but he wasn’t ready to face this yet.

He dried off carelessly, missing a lot of spots that would just dry naturally later. While he was toweling off, he realized that he had forgotten to bring any fresh boxers or a swimsuit with him. He wrapped the towel around his waist and went back into his room to retrieve some clothing.

When he got to his door, he noticed Will leaning on his dresser, staring at his reflection. His forehead creased in deep concentration. Mike watched him for a moment before continuing into his bedroom, causing Will to turn around. Will didn’t immediately meet his eyes. He stared at Mike, mouth slightly open at first then clamped tight. His gaze seemed to slowly travel up Mike’s body, pausing for a moment at his midsection.

_If I didn’t know better, I’d think he was checking me out!_

Mike couldn’t help but smile at the thought. When Will’s eyes finally met his, he only said “Hi”, trying not to embarrass either one of them. Will was still, obviously, disconcerted. After some bumbling, awkward words and a quick conversation about getting ready for today, Will turned to leave. Mike wasn’t 100% sure that Will had been checking him out, but he was positive that he was checking Will out as he left. The shorts he was wearing were a little tight and his butt seemed to be the only thing Mike could see.

_Jesus, I am going to be staring at that all day. I’m so screwed!_

He made a mental note to take two pairs of sunglasses in case one got lost.

He got dressed and threw on his socks and shoes. He mulled over the morning in his head one more time, but one thing seemed to be stuck in his mind like a nasty splinter. El had told him that Will was in love with someone. He had to logically assume that it wasn’t him, surely El would have told him if it was. He also still couldn’t figure out the whole dictionary thing and exactly how he was being oblivious. It seemed silly to think he was being oblivious about Will.

He wondered how Will would have reacted to the kiss. At the time, Mike had been confident that both of them were wanting the same thing, now he wasn’t so sure again. It was like every risky decision. It could have gone well, or it could have complicated things. He had to be careful not to let his feelings make him do something too crazy.

He looked at himself in the mirror.

_How could he possibly like this face anyway? Will is so perfect._

Everyone is their own harshest critic when staring at themselves in a mirror. He hated his freckles and should have shaved the ugly stubble off his chin and jawline, it looked ridiculous. He also needed another haircut, it was starting to become unmanageable again and harder to pull it straight. He hated his nose too, it seemed way too big for his face.

_No one could love a face like this._

Will on the other hand was beautiful, with his sun lightened brown hair, feathery and soft, and his perfect tan skin, smooth and silky to the touch. Mike never remembered him having a pimple or any other blemish on his face. Only the occasional mole marked his skin at all, and those were just part of what Mike found so attractive about him. He always smelled so good, too. Never overpowering, clean with just a hint of baby powder and the touch of citrus in the cologne he always wore. It was a smell Mike would always try to catch when Will was close or walked by.

While he was daydreaming about Will, the doorbell ringing brought him back to reality. He knew that it was probably Lucas or Dustin, maybe both. He also knew that any more thought about this morning’s events would have to wait until later and he headed downstairs to let his friends in.

 

* * *

 

Will

After he went downstairs. Will retrieved the coolers from the basement and put a bag of ice in each one. After he was finished, he picked up the phone in the kitchen and dialed the cabin’s number from memory. After a few rings his mother picked up, she must have known it would be him. Few people knew the number so Hopper could have privacy there.

“ _Hello._ ” She sounded tired with a little touch of excited thrown in.

“Hey Mom.”

“ _Hey baby! I’m glad you called. How’s it going?”_

“It’s going ok, getting stuff ready for the lake trip. We are leaving in a few minutes.”

_“So, are you feeling better? You looked a little worn-down Friday night, I didn’t say anything because I know you hate the attention.”_

“I’m fine now, two nights of good sleep really helped.” No reason to worry her with details.

_“Well, as long as you’re ok. Hey, Hop brought a paper back with him yesterday. Did you and Mike really do that one all by yourself?”_

“Mostly, he didn’t write the main articles, but we were the only ones there Friday and I did the whole layout by myself, but it wasn’t a big deal.”

 _“It looked great. I’m proud of you two and it is a big deal, don’t sell yourself short.”_ She was always encouraging him, trying to boost his confidence.

“Thanks, Mom.”

_“Ok sweetie, I’ll let you go so you can get ready for your trip. Please be safe, nothing crazy ok.”_

“I promise, Love you.”

 _“Love you too. See you tomorrow.”_ After a second, he heard the line click. He was surprised that she had been so brief but was glad she didn’t linger and worry too much. Maybe she was starting to realize he was growing up and things were safer now. Maybe reading the paper allowed her to see that he was responsible and could take care of himself without being lorded over.

Will was beginning to wonder what was taking Mike so long when the doorbell rang. He had the coolers mostly packed and ready to go. Now he was just waiting on Mike to see if he had everything they needed. He left the kitchen and headed for the front door to let in whoever was ringing. He was sure it was Lucas or Dustin.

Just as he rounded the corner, he almost ran straight into Mike, who was jumping down the stairs, moving to the open the front door as well.

“Woah!” Mike jumped to the left to avoid colliding with him.

Will skidded to a stop, “Sorry, my bad Mike. That was close.” He started for the door again.

“Yeah, really close.” Mike reached out and grabbed Will’s shoulder before he could unlock the door. “Hey…umm…I... I’m sorry for earlier. I just wanted to make sure everything is ok. That you’re ok.”

Will squinted at him a little confused, “Yeah, of course, I’m fine. You didn’t do anything wrong. This morning was fun.” He wasn’t sure exactly which part of the morning that Mike was talking about, but this was an open door for Will to make it all ok with him, and he would say anything to make sure that they both felt comfortable.

Mike smiled in obvious relief and Will grinned back at him. They both jumped again when someone started beating on the door. “What the hell, you guys better not still be asleep!” Dustin’s voice came fussing from the other side.

Will unbolted and opened the door. Dustin barged through carrying bags of food, “Jeez, what the hell took so long. We have been out there like ten minutes, and why is the door locked?”

Lucas walked in behind him, “Calm down, it was like two minutes and I’m sure the door was still locked from last night. Good morning gentlemen.”

Satisfied just to be inside, Dustin stopped complaining and dropped the bags in a pile on the floor. All four boys exchanged the usual greetings, high fives and even a hug between Lucas and Will.

“What do we need to do to get going?” Lucas clapped his hands, anxious to go. Both looked well rested after having a good night’s sleep.

“We need to finish loading the coolers, then just put everything in the car. Drinks are in the refrigerator and all the bread and chips can just be thrown on top of everything. Take all of it because Jonathan, Nancy and Steve are going to.” Mike naturally gave everyone directions.

Dustin brightened up, he and Steve had remained close through the years and Dustin still idolized his older friend. “Steve’s going!? Awesome!” Lucas and Mike moved to the kitchen to finish getting stuff together. Will stayed with Dustin.

Will looked at him with a slightly concerned look, not wanting to tell him this next part, but it would be better to tell him now rather than let him find out when they got there. “Jason’s coming, too.”

Dustin’s smile faltered briefly, showing his disappointment. He quickly played it off, “Oh, that’s cool. Jason is a nice guy.”

* * *

Jason Cunningham was Steve’s part time roommate and best friend. He was a student at Northwestern University’s Medical School who stayed with Steve on most weekends and holidays, including all summer while on break. Steve met him not long after his freshman year started at a mutual friend’s party in Chicago, and the two had become instant friends. He was just under six feet tall and blonde with a slim athletic build, about the same size as Steve, except in better shape, taller and a lot less hair. His was cut short on the sides with a wave of longer hair on top. He still looked young but would also fit in at any hospital or doctor’s office that he chose to work at. He wasn’t overly muscular but fit from jogging every morning. He was attractive in a typical California kid, kind of way.

Jason and Steve’s relationship had grown considerably over the last three years, and it took a toll on Dustin at first. He had grown accustomed to being Steve’s tag along as the pair had developed a true friendship, eclipsing the brotherly bond they shared at first. When Jason and Steve became friends, it cut down the amount of time that Dustin was able to spend with his mentor. He handled it well, but a rift naturally occurred between him and Jason. He became moody and withdrawn anytime Jason was in Hawkins spending time with Steve. Over time it got better, and Dustin started hanging out with them both and the older pair did their best to make sure he didn’t feel like a third wheel. Dustin came to accept Jason as a friend, but the jealousy still crept through every now and then.

There was also another facet to the friendship. The other members of the family all had a sense that Steve and Jason might be a little more than best friends. If you spent any time with the two of them it became easy to pick up on. Body language and the way they looked at each other were the two most obvious tells. Jason looked at Steve like he hung the moon and stars. Steve fawned over Jason in such an obvious manner that anyone with the slightest sense of human behavior could read it like a children’s book. None of them ever discussed it with Steve or with each other, for that matter, they just sort of knew. If Steve ever decided to confirm that they were more than friends, then no one would be shocked or surprised.

* * *

“Are you sure you’re ok?” Will knew what it felt like to be jealous of a friend’s relationship and completely understood Dustin’s feelings.

Dustin began picking up the grocery bags he had dropped earlier. “Yeah, I really am. I’m glad Steve is coming. I haven’t seen him in over a month. Jason really is a good friend. It takes me a minute to remember that he’s not trying to steal Steve away.”

“I totally get it man, Jason is fun to be around, I like him a lot.” Will started helping pick the bags up. and they started walking to the carport to load them in the car.

“Yeah, me too. He’s super dreamy.” Dustin jokingly grinned with a dopey look and a flutter of his eyelids.

Will laughed at the joke, but in his head he completely agreed. The guy was nice to look at, and easy to talk to. There had been several occasions, when he came to swim parties or other things with Steve, that Will had long conversations with Jason. He was the type who always seemed to have something in common with whoever he was speaking to. Will was starting to understand that he may have found Jason so intriguing because they had a lot in common with each other. When he found out Jason was coming today, he secretly hoped they had a chance to talk, not about anything special, but just life in general.

A few seconds later Lucas and Mike could be heard playfully arguing while walking toward the carport door.

“If you would actually pick up your side we would be at the car by now.”

“I’m trying, Lucas. I don’t see why we had to carry both coolers at once. They are too heavy.”

“I’m aware they are heavy, I’m carrying most of the weight. We really need to work on those noodle arms,” Lucas said backing through the door. Now that Will and Dustin could see the stack of monstrous coolers, both were sympathetic to Mike. They moved to take the top one off their friends’ hands.

“Thank you! And I don’t have noodle arms. Just because I don’t work out every day doesn’t make me weak.”

Lucas gave him his best condescending look while shaking his head. He gave up on the argument since they now had help.

After everything was loaded, including the makeshift zip lining rig Dustin had constructed, they jumped in the car and headed out. Will was riding shotgun, while Dustin and Lucas were spread out in the cavernous back seat.

“Are we sure we aren’t forgetting anything? It’s a twenty-five-mile trip and I am not coming back if we did.” Mike had gone over everything carefully but wanted to be sure. He started backing out of the driveway.

“Even if we needed something else, I don’t think it would fit.” Dustin was surveying the back compartment of the huge station wagon. “The girls are going to have to sit in this seat with us, there’s no room in the back.”

“They are riding out with Jonathan and Nancy. I’m sure they will ride back with us though.” Will turned around and informed them.

Lucas looked a little miffed. “Seriously? My own girlfriend never tells me anything.”

Dustin gave Lucas his typical goofy smile. “It’s ok buddy, you’ll always have me.”

Dustin had always been one who could quickly lighten up any situation. His heart was enormous, and he always showered love on his friends.

Lucas couldn’t help but crack a smile after seeing that face, “Aw, you’re right, it’s just a little car ride anyway. It’ll be good to spend it with just my boys.” They were both happy again after both had been briefly disappointed with the changes they were informed of this morning.

Conversation between the four eased into more typical subjects. They discussed plans for the day and for tomorrow, more talk about the camp and stuff that happened while they were separated. Will participated, but mostly just sat back and listened. It was a pleasant day and being with these three people on this ride was almost perfect to him. These were the moments he truly loved, listening to the banter, play arguing and name calling that came about when it was just the boys. He loved the girls, however his time with the friends he’d known the longest was always special.

The ride went by fast. It wasn’t long before they were traveling down the country dirt road that led to the secluded area they went to a few times a year. Only a few sparse hunting or fishing cabins had been built on the small lake twenty miles north of Hawkins, so it was almost private. After a few minutes on the dirt road they arrived. Jonathan’s car was already there, and they could see the others not far away, laying out blankets and setting up for the day.

Their cove was beautiful, a perfect little spot. It was surrounded on two sides by big hardwood trees with almost no underbrush. It provided a shady area to hang out in when not swimming or playing in the water. The third side was a steep rocky wall that you would need climbing equipment to safely ascend. There was a small strip of land in front of the granite face that allowed a few trees to grow. On past trips they had added a couple of rope swings for the more adventurous members and even built a launching deck about thirty feet up, anchored to several of the larger trees. They used the deck to swing from and were planning on using it for the zipline too. It all made for a fun and private spot to spend a summer day with family and friends.

Mike pulled in beside Jonathan’s car. No sooner than they could get out of the car, all four of them were met by the ones who were already there. Jonathan quickly sought out Will and gave him a long hug. It was the same for Steve and Dustin, as well as Mike and Nancy.

Eventually, the car got unloaded and most of them began swimming or swinging. Others chose to simply lay out and soak up the late morning sun.  No planning was done, no schedule was followed. It was a day of freedom and fun.

After a while everyone slowed down a little and started moving to do other things. Lucas, Jonathan and Mike were helping Dustin set up the zip line, which seemed to be turning into quite a project. Steve, Jason and Max were all in the water hanging on to a big ring float, their quiet talk occasionally interrupted by laughter.  Nancy had been lying beside El, but soon opted to wade into the water and join the others on the float.

* * *

Will had been one of the first ones in the water and had already taken a few turns on the rope swing. He was getting a little tired and thirsty, so he got out and dried off. He noticed El was alone and walked over to her after grabbing two drinks out of the cooler. She had avoided him most of the day and he guessed it was time to break the ice and hash things out with her.

“Mind if I join you?” He offered her a can of Dr. Pepper as a peace offering.

She looked at him over the rims of her sunglasses, took the soda, then slid over to one side of the blanket, all without speaking. He let out a little sigh as he laid down beside her. He rolled up his towel to use as a makeshift pillow and laid there in silence, hoping she might speak first. Not speaking grew uncomfortable after a few minutes and he could no longer take the silence.

“I know you’re mad at me. I’m sorry.” He tried to break the ice, hoping she would start talking.

“Will, I am not mad. I told you that.” Not a lie, but not the complete truth either.

“Upset then.” He prodded her, hoping she would explain why she was acting this way.

“I’m not really even upset. It’s just a habit for me to be protective. I know I pry too far sometimes. What you told me was the truth, I just need to accept it.”

“Look, I’m not trying to put up any walls between us. I just need privacy sometimes. If any thing bad happens, you know I will always tell you first.” He just wanted things to be normal with her again.

She smiled at him looking over the top of her sunglasses again, it was nice to see her when she smiled big enough for the dimples to pop out. “I would knock that wall down in a second. This thing between us is for life, babe.” They both shared a laugh.

A few moments later a look of contemplation came over her, “You know that you can talk to me about anything, right?” Her tone implied that there was something he needed to tell her.

“Yeah, of course I do. I tell you everything.” He tensed up a little when she asked the question, unsure if he liked the direction the conversation was going.

She pulled the sunglasses off and set them on the blanket between them. “Ok…then why are you afraid to talk to me about him?”

The question stunned him, sending a nervous jolt through his chest. It was the same feeling he got when a teacher hit him with a surprise question in the middle of a daydream.

_She knows!_

He turned to look at her, desperately trying to think of something to say that would explain all of this away. There was no point in trying. She knew, and now he knew that she knew. He should have realized that he couldn’t hide something like this from her. He didn’t even need to ask her what she was talking about or offer an explanation. Both would have been a waste of words.

He looked over to his group of friends, who were still attempting to assemble their project. Lucas was over on the opposite bank and was now climbing what looked to be and old oak tree, trying to secure one end of the braided steel zip line. Had the conversation he was involved in been about a less important subject, then he would have been laughing at the comical antics of his brother and three friends arguing and fussing about how to get the thing working.

He sighed again and looked up into the cloudless blue sky. “How long have you known?” He decided that he may as well talk about it to someone, and he didn’t trust anyone more than her.

She thought for a few moments before speaking, “The first time I noticed something different was when we all went to see Willow, the Friday night just before school got out.” She waited to see if he needed to respond before continuing, “You were all so excited, and had been talking about it for weeks.”

* * *

He remembered everything about the evening she was talking about, it was an amazing night and they all had a great time. All six of them went to the movie, then stayed over at Mike’s house afterward. It was the first epic, fantasy type movie they had all been to in years and had even been inspired enough to attempt a Dungeons and Dragons campaign after watching it. It had been such a long time since they played, but they were all caught up in end of school-spring fever and the game had quickly devolved into a shadow of the day long campaigns Mike had put together in the past. They were all acting goofy, so he ended the game earlier than planned. Instead, they all wound up sitting around the basement talking and laughing until the sun cracked the Saturday morning sky.

The conversation covered all the typical late teenage subjects: love lives, possible love lives, music, movies, school gossip, who was hot or not, who they thought would succeed or fail, and all manner of hopes and dreams. It was one of those rare nights, fueled by junk food, caffeine and the excitement of being young and alive, hanging out with the best friends you could possibly imagine.

Sometime during the night, the exchange took a somber turn to talk about the future, which for all of them was directly associated with what they would do after school. Namely, which school they would leave Hawkins, and each other, to attend. It was the only uncomfortable time of the night for Will. He had always hoped that they could all stay together, which was unlikely given the broad range of talents they possessed. Journalism, art, law, teaching, psychology, and biology were what their current interests were, it would be impossible to find one school that satisfied them all, unless concessions were made by some. Will was willing to concede going to an art school to stay with his friends, especially to stay with Mike. He didn’t need a degree from one of the finest art schools in the country. Almost any decent university had an art program that he could thrive in. He had steered the conversation away from the topic of college, back to things less depressing. Everyone knew that talk of the future was upsetting to Will.

As the night wore on the dialogue became less animated, which made it harder for him to stay awake. He was the first of the group to doze off and had rested his head on the nearest object that would support it during his slumber, Mike’s shoulder. None of them found it odd for something like that to happen, though some friendly jokes were tossed Mike’s way. He responded by shushing them to speak quieter and doing his best not to move and disturb Will. Max had even snapped a quick Polaroid of the moment to add to her collection of memories from the night. The photo was still pinned to the bulletin board in the Wheeler’s basement. Will always planned to swipe the picture sometime in the future to keep for himself.

* * *

As the memories of that night rolled through his head, falling asleep on his shoulder was only thing that stood out to him as damning evidence that he was falling for Mike. He rolled to his side, propping himself up on an elbow.

“Are you talking about me falling asleep on his shoulder? I was so sleepy by then it could have been any of you. He just happened to be the one I was sitting next to.”

She moved to mirror his position. They were much closer since they both had rolled toward the middle of the blanket. She arched her eyebrow a little and got a cocky look on her face that she surely learned from Max, “But it’s always him that you are sitting next to William. It never would have been anyone else. That wasn’t even what I was talking about, though.”

He blushed, wondering if he had become that obvious with everyone else. “If it wasn’t that, then what?” He was talking quieter now, just above a whisper.

She seemed to feel bad that her words may have embarrassed, or even hurt him a little. She had meant it as a joke, but still had trouble with humor. Her timing was not always the best.

“I’m sorry Will, I didn’t mean it like that.” She reached over and took hold of his free hand, her thumb caressing his knuckles. He gave her fingers a forgiving squeeze.

She continued, more serious this time, “I could feel it, even without reaching out to you. He has always been your best friend, but that was the night I first realized it might be more, so I just watched. It was the way you shared your box of Reese’s Pieces with him and no one else, because they are your favorite and you never share them with anyone. How you would watch his reactions to the movie out of the corner of your eye. Every time he would laugh, you would have this goofy smile on your face.” Her face changed while she was speaking. It went from somber to a dreamy grin that suggested she thought the behavior might be _sweet_ or _cute._ “The chill bumps on your arm and neck when he would lean over and whisper something in your ear. The way you leaned his direction during the show, there was almost half a seat between me and you. When he…”

“Ok, Ok, I get it. I think that’s enough to get the point across.” His cheeks were smoldering. He thought he had been hiding it from everyone, including her. It was hard finding out he was being so obvious.

The dreamy eyes faded away, “I just thought we would have talked about it by now.”

“I really wanted to, but the right time just never came up, and it scares me more than I’ve been scared in a long time.” He gave a quick chuckle trying to ease his tension, “Definitely didn’t plan on talking about it today.”

A yell pulled his attention away from her for a moment. The four would-be engineers must have finally gotten their project working. Dustin went flying across the cove way above the water, letting go of the handle bar near the middle, where it was deep. He dropped with a huge splash and came up with another whoop. The other three on the deck and some in the water were cheering. Will smiled and shook his head at the craziness of the stunt. Lucas began pulling back the handles with a rope they had attached beforehand.

He looked back at her, debating on whether to continue or save the conversation for later. He was surprised to see her looking toward the large float in the water. He followed her eyes to see that she was making hand gestures and mouthing words to Max. It wasn’t hard to see that their exchange was about the current conversation he was having with El. The fiery haired girl sheepishly turned away when she saw Will had caught them. Another jolt ran through him as further realization set in.

El snapped her head around when Max looked away, flinching when she met his hardened eyes. The feel of betrayal was not something he was accustomed to. Over the next few seconds it morphed into embarrassment and anger, a rare emotion for Will. He was trying hard to fight back tears as he sat up. He felt exposed again, the urge to run away into the surrounding woods was overwhelming. He started to stand up and she grabbed his forearm, urging him to sit back down. He jerked his arm out of her grip and made his way past the cars into the sparse lakeside forest. He didn’t give in to his desire to run but walked away quickly until his bare feet were stinging from the tiny stabs of pine cones and straw.

When he knew he could no longer be seen by anyone, he found an ancient oak tree and nestled in a crevice between two of its massive roots. He folded his arms across his chest, leaning back against the moss-covered trunk and allowed the tears to roll down his still flushed cheeks. The shock and disbelief that two of the people he loved more than life itself knew, and apparently even talked about, his most damning and forbidden secret was NOT what he wanted to find out today. He pulled his knees to his chest and began to rock a little, seeking comfort in the instinctual motion.

The cleansing flow of tears slowed to a trickle. He was starting to feel a little better when he heard the crinkle of leaves and snapping of sticks, indicating someone was walking toward him. He felt the familiar tingle of El’s attention at the nape of his neck, growing stronger each second. He wiped his eyes and nose, trying to clear away the embarrassing moisture from his face before she found him. A few moments later she walked around the tree and into his line of sight. He was surprised and embarrassed to see Max move into view just behind her, both wearing remorseful expressions which made him feel almost sick for a moment.

El handed him a towel - the same one that he had been resting his head on minutes ago- and sat down beside him. Max sat as well, on the opposite side. He buried his face in the towel, letting it soak up the leftover tears, snot and sweat. He pulled a deep breath in through his nose, the familiar smell of the Wheeler’s house was infused into the fabric and helped to settle him down. 

He finally got the courage to look up at them. El’s face was warm, her smile and dimples dispelled any angry thoughts that were still lingering. Max wasn’t as soft looking, worry and guilt still evident in her expression, which reminded him that he was supposed to be pissed off at them.

Max, growing restless in the silence, was the first to speak. “I’m really sorry, Will. You have a right to be mad, but can we at least try to explain?”

He sniffled and wiped his nose one more time, “Ok.” His voice thick and deep from crying as he gave a half-hearted answer into the towel. He wasn’t sure he wanted to even be here anymore. Then he heard another splash and cheer off in the distance, reminding him that they were at the lake with all their friends, and were supposed to be having fun.

Just as he was beginning to let self-pity take over, a wave of emotions from El hit him like a tidal wave. It washed over him, stronger than he had ever felt anything from her before. She never opened to him completely, for fear of overwhelming him, but decided to let him feel the full force of her emotions at that moment. The sense of being connected to someone like that was impossible to describe. It took his breath. He had never known such a pure feeling of unconditional love that he was getting from her, it washed all the anger and embarrassment away.

He was ashamed by the way he acted earlier, stalking away like an angry toddler, casting her off as if she were just some judgmental burden. Leave it to El to know when to shut up, and just let her heart and mind do the talking. It would have taken hours for her to vocalize all the things he felt coming from her. It was almost overwhelming, but he needed it.

When things like that happened, it was typical for him to lose track of time. It had never been like this before, so it could have been a quick moment or several minutes. After she closed herself off, he became aware of the wetness on his cheeks, and the hot air surrounding them as reality opened around him.

He turned to look at Max, who was now wearing a big smile. He also knew that if she were capable, he would feel the same coming from her. She was one of the most free-spirited people he had ever known and would always support and love her friends no matter what.

He looked up into the trees, “I’m sorry for storming off, that was really stupid. I just…got a little crazy.”

“Oh my god, did you really just apologize to _us_?” Max laughed. In the past, Will had often been guilty of apologizing when he shouldn’t have. “It’s supposed to be the other way around, Byers.”

After a few seconds, Will started laughing, too. Crying earlier, and the exchange with El made him feel better, helping him to think straight. He wasn’t sure how that worked, but in this situation, he was glad it did. Max reached around him and pulled herself tight against his side, laying her head on his shoulder. He leaned into her embrace, soaking up her physical warmth and love, just as he did with El’s mental affection. He knew it was her way of apologizing and saying that she had zero judgment about his feelings for Mike.

He was grateful to have the friends that he did. They were able to make everything ok without speaking hardly a word. He was also aware that they would probably want to talk more about it later, when they had more time. They hadn’t been gone long, but he was sure that the others would realize it soon. He was also starting to feel another uncomfortable feeling in his gut.

“I’m starving, I haven’t had anything to eat all day.” He began to detach himself from Max, so he could stand up.

Max perked up and looked at him with an arched eyebrow, “You’ve been up for, like, six hours. Why haven’t you eaten anything, William.”

He stood up and began brushing the dirt off the seat of his shorts. “It was a busy morning, I just didn’t think about food, yet.”

As he was finish cleaning himself off, he looked back toward the girls. They were both looking at him with questioning smirks. “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

They looked at each other and started giggling. “What were you so busy doing that you couldn’t eat?” It was the first time El spoke since she found him.

He looked at them both and rolled his eyes, catching what they were hinting at. “I was just drawing and stuff. Lost track of time. Nothing happened!” 

_LIAR!_

They both continued looking at him with smiles, knowing he wasn’t telling them the whole truth and that there was a lot more to the story.

His earlier anger had evaporated, but he simply didn’t want to talk about this with them right now. “Can we please just go eat?”

After another round of giggles, the girls stood up with him and they all walked back to the waterside. Everyone else must have had the same hunger pangs Will was experiencing as they were all either eating already or preparing food. No one seemed to notice that the three of them had been gone for a few minutes. It was normal for groups of them to split off from the others from time to time for a hike or private talk.

* * *

Mike had noticed they were gone.

Earlier, he had been absorbed with helping build the zip line and hadn’t spent much time with Will. They had been together for most of the last few days, so it wasn’t surprising that they both gravitated toward other people at the lake. He hadn’t thought much about it until he saw Will stalking into the woods with a pained expression on his face. His first thought was to go after him and to make sure that he was ok.

Before he could climb down, he saw El and Max heading out in the same direction. He knew that Will had been talking to El, so whatever he was upset about must have something to do with her and their conversation. 

“Earth to Mike!” Lucas snapped, breaking his focus away from below.

“What’s up?” He reluctantly turned toward his friend.

“Wow, I had to call you three times. You were having a serious daydream.” Lucas was pulling the rope that was attached to the handlebars for the zip line. The return rope had been Mike’s idea, which was a good thing, because getting them back after someone rode the line would have been extremely difficult without it.

“Yeah, sorry about that.”

“Do you want to go next? This rope idea was brilliant. I’m glad you thought about it before Dustin went.” He offered him the handle.

“You sure? I don’t mind waiting.”

Jonathan spoke up, “You should be next since you thought of the return rope. Without it we would be standing here, looking at the handle fifty feet away with no way to get it back.”

He was nervous, but the adventurous spirit in him had to try the thing out. “Ok, I’ll go. Hopefully I can hold on long enough.”

Lucas gave him a friendly smile, “Your arms are pathetic, but you don’t weigh anything, so you will be fine.” For the second time that day, he poked fun at his weak upper body. “Pull up on the bar when you run off or your weight might make you fall when you leave the deck.”

Jonathan added further instruction, “Just don’t let go until you get over the deep water, and don’t hold on too long, even after you let go you’ll keep moving forward. Listen out for Dustin.”

Mike grabbed onto the handle and pulled experimentally on the bar and chains hanging from a pulley, which was locked onto the taught steel line. He backed up to the edge of the deck. “Ok, don’t let go early, don’t let go late and don’t die. Three simple rules, I think I’ve got it.” The butterflies had set in. It was the same feeling he got before launching down the first hill of the Vortex roller coaster at King’s Island.

After a deep breath and a few moments of psyching himself up, he ran three steps, pulled up and jumped off the edge. All he heard was the metallic clang and whir of the wheels running along the metal wire as he rapidly picked up speed. The tree branches were skirting by faster and faster, wind whipping all around him. It was exhilarating and over much too soon.

He caught sight of Dustin in the water below, and just a moment later heard the boy’s voice.

“Now, Now, Now!” Dustin yelled, letting him know it was time to drop.

He let go of the handle and experienced something different from the feeling of the roller coaster drop. His momentum carried him forward, which combined with the brief freefall made it seem like he was flying. The unbound freedom of the moment was rudely interrupted as his feet and body hit the warm lake water. He wasn’t fully prepared and hit at a bad angle causing a huge splash. After he went under, there was a little disorientation and he had to focus on getting back to the surface. He broke through to the sounds of cheers and clapping from his friends.

Dustin swam over to him wearing a huge beaming smile, “Oh my god! That was the biggest splash ever! Are you ok?”

Mike looked at him, returning the grin, “Yeah, it hurt a little, but that was fucking awesome! It felt like I was flying!”

“I knew you would love it.” He offered up his hand for an enthusiastic high five. “C’mon, let’s get out of the way.”

This went on for a few minutes as everyone took a turn or two, then they decided to take a break for lunch. The thrill of their new toy and the joy of hanging out with his friends had caused Mike to forget about seeing Will walk away earlier. He began to worry again when he noticed they weren’t back yet. He made a sandwich, trying to decide if he should go looking for them.  About that time, the trio walked out of the woods, making their way toward the rest of the group. Mike couldn’t help but smile when he saw the happy, carefree expression on Will’s face as he ate lunch with the girls and Jonathan.

After they finished eating, Mike decided he was going to spend at least some of their time at the lake with Will. It looked like Steve and Jason would be joining the group on the deck, leaving the three girls to themselves on the big round float.

Will was headed for the makeshift ladder that accessed the lofted platform when Mike called out to him.

“Will! Hold up one second.” A little surge of excitement hit him when he saw Will’s eyes brighten and a lop-sided smile come across his face. He ran over and started walking beside him.

“Hey, Mike.” It felt like he hadn’t heard his voice in years and it had only been a couple of hours.

Mike knew they didn’t have much time to talk privately so he was straightforward, “Is everything ok? Not being nosy, but I saw you walk away earlier. You looked pretty pissed. I was…I was worried.”

Will’s smile faded, and he started nervously fiddling with his fingers, “Oh…I was hoping no one saw that. It was just a little argument, brother-sister stuff. I was being dumb and dramatic. I’m fine though, we figured it out.”

“That’s good. Not good that you argued, but that it got worked out. Not sure if I’ve ever seen you two argue before.”

Will looked up thoughtfully, as if he was trying to think of a time they had fought before.

“Sometimes we kind of fight. She can be a little…intense.”

Mike tried to suppress a chuckle, “Yeah she can be, I know that first hand.” He remembered the slow breakdown of their infatuation. It wasn’t a pleasant thing to be a part of.

“True…you guys are so close now that I forget how rough it got back then.”

Deciding it probably wasn’t a good time for a deep conversation, or to discuss the past, Mike turned back toward the ladder and started walking.

Will fell in step with him and changed the subject, “So, tell me about this thing Dustin built. It looks kind of dangerous.”

“It’s fun. You just need to hold on until it gets over the deep water, then drop. It’s faster than the swing and a lot of fun. If I can do it, then you definitely can.” He passed on the instruction the others gave him earlier.

“I guess it’s time to try it, then.” Will spoke, his voice confident.

“You’re going to love it. I was scared at first, but that goes away quick.” When they got to the ladder Mike motioned for him to go first “Be my guest, sir”

Will chuckled as he started up the ladder. Mike started climbing behind him, trying his best not to look up. He couldn’t help but take a few glances at the scenery Will was providing above him. He was careful though, he didn’t want to get caught looking, especially by him.

Just as they reached the top of the deck, Steve went running past and launched himself down the line. He hit the water awkwardly as well, causing another huge splash. Jonathan and Lucas were already in the water, swimming over to make sure he was ok.

Once they all saw that Steve was ok, Jason spoke up, “Nope, not for me, I’m out!”

“C’mon Jase, you’ll like it, I promise.” Dustin spoke up, trying to encourage him. Obviously, he had warmed back up to Jason during the events of the day. It never took Dustin long, he was the most accepting person Mike had ever met.

“No way Dustin, It’s way too risky. I can’t afford to get hurt.”

“You won’t get hurt.”

“You’re right, I won’t get hurt because I’m not going down that thing.” Jason walked over to where Will and Mike were standing near the top of the ladder. He took hold of Will’s shoulder and looked at them fondly, “Boys, please be careful. Don’t die.” He gave the younger boy a wink and smile, then climbed down the ladder.

Just before he dropped out of sight he looked back up, his eyes moving back and forth between Mike and Will. His brow furrowed for a second, then one corner of his mouth turned up in a pleasant smirk, as if solving a riddle for the first time. “Have fun you two.” He continued down the ladder and disappeared beneath the deck.

The exchange confused Mike a little, he looked over at Will, who just shrugged his shoulders. He didn’t seem to know what it meant either. Mike watched Jason walk across to the food table, where he grabbed some chips and a can of Coke, then waded out to join the three girls.

“Will, you can go next,” Dustin had the handle pulled back and ready to go. He went over the instructions with him, using his hands and arms to show him how to do it.

Will grabbed the handle and backed up to the edge, just like everyone told him to do. He puffed out a nervous breath and took the leap. The ride went smoothly, his form seemed almost perfect. When Jonathan yelled, he dropped at exactly the right time, gracefully knifing into the water.

Mike was proud and upset at the same time, “What the fuck! I hit the water like a raging hippo and almost break my neck every time. He looks like an acrobat and makes no splash at all. How the hell?” It never ceased to amaze him how naturally things like this came to Will.

This caused Dustin to laugh, “We’re the smart ones Mike, we don’t need to be graceful and athletic.”

He chuckled, “It would still be nice to be able to do that, though.” Sports had never been his thing and never would be. None of them were involved in any athletics, which was a choice for Lucas and Will. Mike and Dustin didn’t have the natural athleticism and didn’t need to make the decision whether to play or not.

The afternoon went on about the same for a while longer, with everyone doing whatever they wanted. Each of them migrated between swimming, sunning or the more exciting swing and zip line rides. Mike continued spending time with Lucas and Dustin, but Will moved away from the zip line after a couple of turns and went down to hang out with everyone in the water. As the sun started to get lower, they all realized that it would soon be time to pack up and head home. Dustin made a last call for the zip line. He would need to take it down, so it wouldn’t rust and decay out here in the woods.

Mike made his way up the ladder with Lucas and Dustin. Will was still sitting on a blanket talking to Jason and Steve, making no moves to indicate he was interested in riding again. He had been with them for a while, in what appeared to be a deep conversation. Mike could always tell when Will was engrossed in something. He sat cross legged, leaning in toward them, his full attention on the two older guys. When speaking, he was animated with his facial expressions and hands, emphasizing whatever he was talking to them about.

Lucas took his last turn first. He attempted a flip when he dropped off but didn’t have enough momentum to do the full turn, causing him to do an ugly back flop. El and Max were watching from the ground and gave him a few hoots and boos. He playfully returned their jeers with an extended middle finger.

Mike knew his would be the last turn of the day. Dustin told him that he wasn’t going to go anymore so he could start taking everything down. Over the course of the day he had rode the line several times, and it was becoming easier for him to end the run without much mayhem.

He followed the same routine as he did the previous times, backing up to the far edge, getting a running start, and pulling up on the bar as he left. Not long after he left the platform, he knew that something was wrong, the wheels were loose, causing a vibration that threatened to shake his hands free. He looked up to where it connected to the line and could see one of the wheels holding it all together was wobbling like a dying top. His panic grew when he saw the wheel give way causing the metal frame to dig into the braided steel wire. He barely managed to hang on as the rig jerked to a quick stop, making him swing wildly side to side.

He heard Dustin screaming his name behind him, he turned to look at the other boy, eyes desperate for help.

“Mike! Hold on! I’m coming!” He had a terrified look in his face, looking for a way to get out to him.

The last word Dustin yelled was still echoing off the cliff across the cove when the branch at the other end of the line gave way. The wire had been slowly wearing into the tree over the course of the day, and the added stress of the sudden stop and violent swinging was too much for it to hold any longer. He heard the twang as the taught line let go, then dropped straight down. The sickening feel of free fall was halted when his ribs slammed into the thick base of a large pine limb. The air blasted out of his lungs and the sharp pain of broken bones engulfed him. It was all happening so fast that it didn’t register that he was still above solid ground, which was rapidly approaching. Less than a second later he felt himself crashing into the next set of limbs, this time feeling white hot pain rip through the inside of his thigh, and another blow blasting his left shoulder.

The inevitability and pure terror of death flashed into his mind just before he thought the blackness would consume him. He knew he would hit the ground soon, and instinctively closed his eyes. The last branch he hit, bashed against the back of his skull, causing every other thought to become hazy. Time seemed to slow, the searing agony still racking his body.

After he hit his head, everything he saw or felt came in flashes: The feeling of floating, the canopy of the trees above him moving sideways, bright red blood covering his arm and hand, the ground and water moving by beneath him, the gritty feel of rocks and dirt on his back. Then, the face of a man he thought he knew above him yelling at someone, but all Mike could hear was high pitched ringing, washing out all sounds. Lastly, he saw Will’s horrified face looking down at him, he was crying and speaking words to him that were washed out by the shrill tone coursing through his head.

He tried to focus on Will. Serenity and peace came over him, the pain that overwhelmed him seconds ago ebbed away, he felt nothing. He saw a single tear form and fall from the corner of Will’s eye. The glassy fluid sphere bending and wobbling, moving in super slow motion toward him. A blinding light reflected off its surface, everything he saw was coated in a brilliant blaze of yellow. Falling, falling, falling, seemingly taking forever. At last he felt the crystal droplet splash warm against his cheek, then spread out in a wave that covered his whole body in that same fluid glow. Another surge burst out of the same spot where the tear hit, this time warmer, moving faster. It enveloped him in a pure heat, like floating in a hot bath. Wave after wave came after, each one more intense than the last, his entire existence soon submerged into a molten flow. Then everything went dark and he knew no more. 

* * *

Will gladly jumped at the chance to spend the last part of the afternoon with Steve and Jason. He briefly felt guilty for not spending more time with Mike, Lucas and Dustin, but he would be with them all night and all day tomorrow. After taking his second and last trip down the zip line, he swam to shore, grabbed a towel and walked over to where the older couple was sitting under a big shady tree by the water.

“You guys mind if I join you?”

He was met with two big smiles, “Absolutely man, have a seat.” Steve moved over next to Jason, leaving room for Will to sit across from them.

Steve was always glad to spend time with any of his adopted “children”. Will had become attached to him later than the others, mainly because he hadn’t been directly involved with Steve during all the events of ’83 and ’84. It was just a matter of time though since Steve had saved his brother from the jaws of death, literally. Then helped save Will and his friends a year later by bravely taking on the creatures from the Upside Down again. Will had turned to him for advice several times over the last few years, especially when it came to issues that he didn’t want to involve his Mom and brother in.

Jason was different. Other than Dustin, who disliked him out of jealousy at first, everyone was immediately fond of him. Will was drawn to him for several reasons. Not only was he attractive and smart, he was also a little bit of a nerd. He read comic books, watched science fiction movies and even read encyclopedias in his spare time. He stayed in shape but wasn’t a jock. He was what Will wanted to be one day.

Over the next hour or so they mulled over several different subjects. Mostly small talk at first, then Will started asking him about school. Jason recently graduated from Northwestern and was starting medical school there in the fall. He told Will all about the campus and different schools that were available.

“So, how about the art programs they offer?” The idea of college was still a little bit of a torture to him, but Will had to figure something out. It would soon be time to decide, and he couldn’t wait until last minute on a decision like this, especially if he wanted to stay near his friends. What Jason had told him of the university near Chicago made it seem like a place they all could be happy attending. It was a huge college with lots of different schools and opportunities.

“Well, I don’t know much firsthand about that particular school, but I have some really good friends who are in the drama and production departments. I’d be glad to get you in touch with one of them, if you want. They would know a lot more than me.”

Will nodded, “Yeah, that would be great.”

Jason turned toward Steve and smacked him on the arm, “Help me remember. I think Kevin and Garrett would be the best.” Steve nodded. Jason turned back to Will, “Garrett is in set design, he will know a lot and will be a senior this year.”

Steve was stretched out, lying next to where Jason was sitting. Will could tell he was growing bored with the conversation when he started poking and prodding at Jason, messing around with him playfully. He thought it was funny, seeing Steve begging for his attention like that. Even funnier watching Jason repeatedly smack his hand away, telling him to stop. The flirting only reinforced his theory that the two of them were closer than they let on.

“So…I won’t keep bugging you about it, but what about journalism? Is it a good school for that?” Will finally asked the question that he wanted to ask the most.

“First, you aren’t bothering me Will. If I can’t help a friend then what good am I. But, yeah. Northwestern is one of the top five journalism schools in the country. Chicago is a great place for that field of study, too. Lots of jobs, internships and all that.”

Steve’s ears perked up when he heard that question and he jumped back into the conversation, “Wait, you’re interested in journalism? I thought that was Wheeler’s thing.”

Jason jabbed Steve in his side and gave him a harsh look, clearly wanting him to shut up.

Will answered anyway, “I was asking for him. I’m hoping that we can all go to school together or at least some of us. I know it’s unlikely, but Northwestern seems like a place that fits for most of us.”

Jason looked at him with understanding, seeming to know what Will was going through. “It is a great school, talk to them about it. You guys could also come up for a visit and stay with me for a long weekend. Seeing the campus wins a lot of people over.”

Will brightened up, “Yeah, that would be awesome. I mean, I know it’ll be a couple of months, but I’m ready to go now.”

Jason laughed at his excitement, “Let’s plan on it then.” He turned toward Steve, “I’m thirsty. Can you go grab a couple of drinks for us?”

“Sure. Will, you want anything?”

“Mountain Dew, if there are any left. Thanks.”

Jason sat up a little straighter as he watched Steve walk over to the cars.  They sat there in silence for a moment, then he sighed and looked back at Will. He had the look of someone who wanted to say something, but either wasn’t sure of how to say it or if he should speak at all. Will became nervous, hoping that he hadn’t become so transparent that even Jason was about to ask him about his feelings for Mike. He already found out today that Max and El both knew and didn’t know if he could take anymore. Will braced himself as Jason finally spoke.

“Will, while he’s gone, I just want to tell you one quick thing.” He seemed to notice Will’s stiff shoulders and the fear in his eyes. He smiled reassuringly and spoke with a soft voice, “I know what it’s like to be your age and how scary this part of life is. I also know you have this amazing group of people that love and support you.” He swung his arm gesturing to those around them. “I guess what I’m saying is, if you ever need to talk to someone who may understand what you are going through, someone a little… different from them, I’d be glad to be that person. I’m not trying to be forward or say anything at all. I just want you to know that I’m always here to help.”

Will didn’t really know what to say, as Jason was speaking the fear and nervousness dissolved. It took him a moment to fully realize what was being said and the way Jason spoke disarmed him completely. Jason confirmed what Will had been suspecting about him for a while. He saw the pain on Jason’s face when he forced the word _different_ into the sentence. He heard the passion and felt the sincerity of his words. He was afraid to speak, fearing that his voice might falter or break, so he just nodded his head. Jason seemed to completely understand that Will was accepting his offer and gave him a tender smile. 

A few seconds later Steve came strutting back over, handing a Dr. Pepper to Jason and a bright green can to Will, “That’s the last one, Dustin’s going to be pissed.”

This broke the seriousness of the moment and Will cleared his throat and chuckled, “Thanks. I don’t feel bad, he probably has a fridge full of them at home. Mom doesn’t allow them in our house.” He popped the top and drank deeply. The over sugared, fizzy drink tickled all the way down. It was ice cold and invigorating and seemed to wake him out of the daze of overthinking.

Steve laughed, “Oh, and just a warning, Nancy is in Mom mode, says we need to start cleaning and packing things up.”

That was when Will noticed that the sun had dipped below the trees, casting the whole area into shadow. The relief from the scorching heat was nice but meant the marble sized flies and mosquitos would soon be biting. He gave them both a resigned smile and got up to start helping with the cleanup.

As he was folding some of the blankets and towels, he looked toward the raised deck where the other boys were. Lucas was just beginning a slide, and Will grimaced when he saw him try a trick dismount that ended poorly. He smiled when he heard El and Max jeering from the water side and went back to cleaning up.

A couple of minutes later, his blood froze when he heard Dustin’s terrified voice screaming Mike’s name. He desperately began looking for Mike, and panic set in when he saw him swinging wildly from the handle of the zip line. He began to run that direction, after a few steps he heard the metallic twang of the steel line let go from its base. Mike’s scream was abruptly cut off when he bounced off a large branch below him. Will was horrified to see him ricochet and spin off another branch. He closed his eyes, knowing Mike would soon hit the ground.

He opened them again when he heard El scream. He looked back over to see Mike’s body floating through the last of the trees on the edge of the clearing, coming toward the waterside. El, arm outstretched, brought him as close as she could and set him down on the ground by the water. Will changed direction and slid to a stop where she dropped him. He got to him first and laid his hands on Mike’s chest. Blood was everywhere, and he wasn’t moving, save for an odd full body twitch every few seconds.

He shook his shoulders and kept saying his name over and over, trying to get some response. Mike just laid there, completely still, except for the spasm that struck every few heartbeats. He heard Steve behind him screaming for Jason. The two of them got there seconds later. Steve knelt by Mike’s head, reaching out to hold him, trying to still his convulsions. Jason expertly ran his hands over Mike’s body, checking each injury, trying to find out where all the blood was coming from. When he got down to his legs, Will saw his head instantly snap up, with wide worried eyes looking at Steve.

Jason spoke loud and quick, his training taking over, “Will! Move down here and give me your hand!”

Before Will could even register what was being said, he felt Jason’s hand clamp down on his wrist and pull him toward Mike’s legs. He placed Will’s hand where his leg attached to the hip.

He firmly grabbed Will’s chin, forcing him to look him in the eye. “Will! Listen to me! I need you to push down as hard as you can, right here.” He flattened Will’s hand, placing the heel of his palm right on a spot near his hip joint. “Do you understand? I don’t care if he screams or moves, you press right here as hard as you can!”

Will nodded his head and got on his knees, pressing all his weight into the spot. He could feel Mike’s pulse pounding where he was pushing.

Jason pushed up Mike’s shorts, exposing the highest part of his leg. Jason cursed, and Will almost passed out when he could see where the blood was coming from. High up on Mike’s inner thigh, a gash was spewing blood out with each heartbeat.

“Jesus Christ!” Jason ripped off his tank top and rolled it up into a makeshift tourniquet

Will looked at him through tear filled eyes, “Jason?” 

“He’s punctured or torn his artery, we have to get it stopped or he will bleed out.” Will started sobbing, uncontrolled. Jason reached over and placed his hand on top of Will’s, trying to calm him down, “You are keeping him alive, keep pushing down as hard as you can. Focus Will.” He wrapped the rolled-up shirt around the top of Mike’s leg and tied the ends into a knot.

Lucas and Dustin both appeared on either side of Will, both had terrified looks in their eyes when they saw Mike laying there and all the blood. Jason reached over and placed Lucas’ hand on top of Will’s

“Help him push down.” When Lucas added his strength, Mike’s body stiffened, and he shot out a cry of pain. The sound was horrible and wonderful to Will, it meant that Mike could still feel something and that he was alive, but he was also in agony.

The entire group was there now. Jonathan was holding Nancy back, trying to keep her out of the way. Max and El were holding each other, crying, watching from a few feet away.

Jason tightened the knot, but the blood flow only slowed a little. Will saw him look up to Steve and give a shake of his head, telling the seriousness of the situation.

“Will, swap places with Steve. Talk to him, see if he will respond.” Jason had a sadness in his eyes that was terrifying. Steve moved down and slipped his hands in where Will’s were and helped Lucas put pressure, to try and slow the bleeding. Jason moved the tourniquet, trying it again from a different angle. The gash was just too high on his leg to get a proper tourniquet around it. 

Will moved over and knelt in the spot where Steve was, cradling Mike’s head in his hands, his hair was sticky and wet with blood. He looked down and spoke quietly, “Mike, open your eyes, I’m here.”  Tears were pouring out of Will’s eyes, blurring his vision. Mike’s face and lips were pale, and his skin cool and clammy to the touch.  Will leaned over him, his mind flashing back to his perfect moment earlier that morning after waking up next to him, his face the same distance away. That moment seemed like it was an eternity ago, not just a few hours.

He spoke again, louder, with urgency behind it “Mike, I’m here, please look at me. I need you to open your eyes.” He was rewarded when Mike’s eyes fluttered open a few seconds later. His pupils were dilated but they seemed to focus on him. He reached with one hand to cup Mike’s cheek, the tears still flowing as he tried to force a reassuring smile.

Sometime over the next few moments El came to kneel beside him. Like Will, her eyes were red, and tears were streaming down her cheeks. One hand was on Mike’s chest, one on Will’s arm. He looked at her, silently pleading for her to do something special, to use some amazing new ability to fix this, like she had so many times before. She shook her head. He knew then that there was nothing she could do. Mike was dying and there would be no miracle from her that would stop it.

Will felt helpless, despair started to creep in. His gaze lingered on the boy lying below him, a streak of red staining the pale white of his cheek where Will was touching.

Memories of that face through time flashed through his mind’s eye. The first time they met, young and cherubic with scared, lonely eyes, asking him to be his friend. When they were a little older and spending the night together for the first time, his features a blend of concern and promise, begging him not to call his mom and leave because Will was so scared of being away from her for the first time. The first day of sixth grade, his clenched jaw and narrowed eyes, trying to fight off an eighth grader that chose Will as a target. Then him wearing the black eye like a badge after the same asshole went after him instead. The joy on his face when he saw Will for the first time after his rescue from the upside down. The concern that was etched there when they were outside the old arcade, just after Will saw and felt something horrible coming for him. The grief and depression after the break up with El. Mike sobbing into his shoulder on more than one occasion.

Almost every happy memory he had involved Mike being there. The countless pictures taken of him and his friends, the two of them beside each other in almost every one. Any time they rode in a car, sat in a movie or got on a ride at an amusement park, it was always the two of them. Pairing up was natural for them, always had been.

His eyes were still locked on Mike’s when they glazed over and started to lose focus. Will switched position, moving down beside him, so he wasn’t looking at him upside down anymore. He leaned down close, both hands holding his face. Mike’s eyes came back to life and focused on him again, now looking lost and scared as if he knew what was happening to him. Will knowing that this might be the last time, opened his mouth and spoke.

“Mike, don’t leave me.” He choked the words out between sobs. He didn’t care what anyone heard or thought about what he was saying. “I…I’m here with you and I’m not leaving. I need you to know something. You mean more to me than anyone in the world.” His fists were now clenched, hanging on to handfuls of hair as if forbidding him to leave.

Will swallowed the next words he wanted to speak, so afraid that his confession to Mike would be the last words that he ever spoke to him. The heaviest emotions had been smoldering inside of him, and his thoughts of the past stoked the fire inside to a steady burn. Holding in those three words added enough fuel to make it roar like wildfire. Something instinctual, innate, took over as his face hovered so close to Mike’s. He started to say the words he had been holding back. Just as he was opening his mouth, he saw one of his tears fall and splash against the sickly pale skin of his cheek.

“Mike…I lo…” Before he could get the second word out, the fire deep inside him let go. He lost sense of time and being. The world around him blacked out, narrowing his focus solely on Mike.

He was no longer aware of anything happening around him. He didn’t see El’s eyes pop open wide, full of shock, sensing what was happening. Didn’t see her leap to her feet, waving both hands, picking up Steve, Jason, Dustin and Lucas, moving them more than twenty feet away from where they were. Didn’t hear all four guys yelling out in surprise as they flew or them grunting as they landed in the dirt with a gentle thud. Didn’t see when she ran away from them, skidding to a stop beside Max, then turning to watch over him.

All he knew was that whatever was inside him needed to be released. Instinct took over, he closed his eyes and reached down deep, focusing on that raging fire and pushed. It felt like part of him left his body and latched onto the closest thing to him, Mike’s unmoving body.

The pain Mike was experiencing briefly became his own. Will’s breath caught with the stabbing agony of broken ribs. He yelled out when his inner thigh exploded in pain, feeling like his flesh was being torn apart. The base of his skull started to throb, causing him to feel nauseated and lose focus for a moment. He concentrated and refocused, pushing the fire toward each area, covering each hurt with the healing heat. As the imagined flame washed over every wound, the pain he was feeling ebbed and died. When he could feel it no longer, he let it cover all of Mike’s broken body. He didn’t know what was happening, only that what he was doing felt right and natural.

As Mike’s body was restored, the intense heat of Will’s internal fire was starting to flare out. The world around him faded slowly back into reality. He felt the grit of dirt and sand stinging his knees. He slowly let go of the hair he had been hanging onto, moving his hands to touch Mike’s face and chest, where the skin was now warm and sweaty in place of the cool clamminess he felt earlier, and he could feel a steady strong heartbeat. Will looked at his face, which was now in peace. Mike’s skin was ruddy with color and vitality. Will cupped his now warm cheek and tried to wipe away the blood but only smeared it as his hands were still soaked in crimson.

Will let go and rose up to his knees, still in shock and unsure of what just happened. He stood, looking down on Mike’s body, studying him. He was laying there as if asleep, the serene look on his face mirrored the one Will woke up to that morning. He smiled, Mike’s face causing a similar peace in him.

That was when he remembered everyone else. He raised his eyes and looked around, spotting each of them in turn. El and Max kneeling a few feet away, latched onto one another. Jonathan and Nancy standing up, locked in a firm embrace. Lucas and Dustin lying on the ground, dirty and bloodstained, looking as if someone had just pushed them down. Steve holding Jason’s face between his bloody hands talking to him gently, trying to calm him down, both looking toward Will when they realized he was standing. They were all in different positions and places, but they all had one thing in common. Every one of them was staring at him, eyes unblinking and mouths hanging wide open as if something had stunned them all at one time.

Will’s smile disappeared, and reality of what just happened started to set in. Lucas stood up and was approaching him. “Will…are you ok?”

He looked into Lucas’ dark brown eyes, saw his friend’s concern, then back down at Mike. When he turned back to Lucas, Will could feel his mouth drop open to match everyone else. A cold chill snaked its way through his body and the ground under him seemed to lurch. He stepped towards Lucas trying not to fall.

“Will!” Lucas yelled his name and moved to close the gap between them.

Strangely, considering it was still over ninety degrees, Will felt a frigid breeze blowing across his neck, making his skin burst into goose bumps. He reached out to Lucas, but his feet simply wouldn’t move, and his legs refused to support him any longer. He felt himself falling forward as a haze of gray fuzziness narrowed his vision. Two strong arms caught him before he could fall, wrapping around him and guiding him gently to the ground. The gray faded to black and somewhere far, far away he heard El screaming his name.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter. This and part 2 were very difficult to write but the content is necessary for the rest of the story. I also apologize for the length of time its been since posting. I had a trying semester of school. Part 2 is almost ready and I should post in the next week or two.  
> Please, please, please leave a comment below. I love hearing from all of you.  
> Another reason this chapter took so long is that I have had the first 5 chapters edited and rewritten parts to clean it up some. No major plot changes or anything like that. Mainly repaired my poor grammar and some plot holes. 
> 
> I want to give a special thanks to TheAngryPixie for introducing me to how Stand by Me has a strong influence on Will and Mike's relationship in the show. I dearly love that movie and love how it influences these characters.  
> I also have a tumblr if you spend any time on that site then give me a follow. Always looking for new friends there @thepragmaticrebel
> 
> Much love to all of you!


	7. The Push-Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone is still in shock and amazed at what just happened with Mike and Will. They all try to cope with their new reality and the changes the day brought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the second part of chapter 6. The whole chapter is Mike's POV except for a small part at the end. I hope you enjoy it. I do plan on finishing this story before season 3 hits Netflix. I even threw in a couple of my ST3 predictions in this chapter. Please leave a comment. I do love hearing from you all. Thanks for reading!!

The Push-Part 2

Mike

The babble of familiar voices cut through the haze of his semi-consciousness. They sounded mute and dull, almost like they were coming from the other side of a thick wall. It vaguely reminded him of the way adults spoke in a Charlie Brown cartoon. Over the next few seconds he was able to untangle the string of words and understand some of the words being spoken. He was caught in the gray area between awake and asleep, so the sentences faded in and out.

“…over there trying to calm Jason down, he’s freaking out.”

“First for us too. Hard to believe that just happened…”

“…should be used to this stuff by now, didn’t expect it from Will…”

“…is ok, El says it probably just wiped him out and he needs to rest...”

“…in the car covered up, he was freaky cold…”

“…no hospitals Jonathan! You know that we can’t take them to a real doctor. We need to get them home.” El’s stern voice was the first he clearly recognized.

The voices faded to a distant murmur though he could still feel the presence of others around him. His other senses started to slowly wake up as well, the melodic chirps and trills of birds above him, the gritty feel of dirt and gravel on his bare back, the high-pitched buzz of a mosquito uncomfortably close to his ear, and the sharp metallic taste of blood in his mouth. He pulled in a deep breath through his nose and could smell the warm lake water, pleasant and earthy but infused with the tiniest bit of a rank fishy smell. Everything seemed so alive and vivid, as if he were feeling, hearing and smelling it all for the first time.

“I think he's waking up.” Max’s voice came from just beside him. “Mike?”

He felt someone running their fingers through his hair and holding his hand. He took a deep breath and stayed still for a few moments longer, wallowing in the comfort of being petted.

When he opened his eyes, they were met with Max’s icy bright blues. She smiled down at him, “Hey.” She spoke sweetly, drawing out the word like she hadn’t seen him for a long time. “How are you feeling?”

He pondered the simple question for a few moments before thinking it over and mentally checking all the different parts of his body. He looked around before speaking, his eyes wandering back and forth, trying to figure out where the hell he was and why he was laying on the ground with his head in Max's lap. He was surprised to see his sister was the one holding his hand. Nancy had a shocked, heavy look in her eyes but managed to turn up the corners of her mouth in a smile when he made eye contact with her.

“I'm ok...I think. What happened?” His voice sounded raspy and dry, his tongue felt huge and the back of his throat felt pasty and gross. It reminded him of waking up the morning after getting drunk for the first time at Dustin's birthday party last fall, minus the splitting headache. His sister handed him a bottle of water and they gave him a minute to drink.

Max narrowed her eyes and tilted her head, “What do you remember?”

He sat up, propping himself up with his arms behind him and took another long swig of the cool water before speaking, “I remember falling. Then…floating? Was I really floating, or did I hit my head?” Everything was still foggy. It felt like a dream that he had forgotten most of, only bits and pieces remained.

She answered him in a serious tone, “Well, both, you did hit your head and you were floating. El caught you before you hit the ground.”

“Is that all you remember?” Nancy softly questioned him. That was when he first noticed the moisture lingering on her cheeks below her red-rimmed eyes. Not from tears that were falling now but maybe wet from crying earlier. It was the face of someone who had been to a funeral but was now at whatever inane luncheon or get together after the deceased was laid to rest. Dustin appeared and knelt beside Nancy and when Mike looked back toward Max, Lucas had come to stand behind her. All of them had the same puffy red eyes as his sister.

“No.” As he was trying to remember, the same disturbing image kept popping up. “Will, I remember Will, and he was…crying. Why? Why does it look like you’ve all been crying?” He looked around at each of them, his voice edging up an octave as panic started to creep in. In that second, he realized that two faces were missing from the scene around him, the two people he would’ve expected to see first if something bad had happened to him, especially Will’s. His absence caused a full-blown panic to set it.  “Where is Will!”

Dustin spoke up, “Mike, he’s in your car, asleep. He’s with El and he’s ok. Please calm down.”

Of course, telling him to calm down had the opposite effect. “Asleep! How can he be asleep and why do you all look like you’ve been to a funeral! Is he really ok?”

He started to stand up. Lucas met him after he was on his feet and grabbed both of his shoulders. The hard look in his eyes caused Mike to back down.

“Mike, listen to me. I’ll take you to see Will in a minute. He is fine. We were crying for you!” Lucas’ words caused confusion to flash across Mike’s face.

“Me! Why were you crying for me? I’m perfectly ok!” He was desperately trying to understand what was going on. He looked to Lucas, hoping for more explanation.

Lucas held up a hand and motioned toward his light blue swimming trunks that were completely ruined with dark reddish-brown stains, “You weren’t fine a few minutes ago. You see this and all the blood on you. This is your blood. When you fell, you crashed into a bunch of branches. You hit hard, probably broke some bones and bashed the back of your head really bad.” Mike reached up and felt the back of his head and felt nothing out of the normal, no bump or cut suggesting what Lucas was saying was true. He pulled back his hand to see his fingers covered with a sticky dark paste of drying blood mixed with dirt, which only confused him more.

Hearing that Will was ok calmed him down a little, so Lucas softened his voice and slowed his words before he continued, “The worst thing was that somewhere in the fall, you cut open your leg. Jason tried to help but you were bleeding so bad.” Lucas started to lose his composure as he remembered, a tear trickled down his face. “You were dying, man. Then Will…he started talking to you, he was saying some really personal stuff and then…he saved you…I don’t know how...but he…” Lucas stopped speaking as he struggled for the right words to explain what happened, his eyes turned down as he tried to figure out what to say. “All the stuff we’ve been through and seen. All the monsters and the crazy shit El can do, all the stuff that’s not supposed to be real. None of it compared with what I just saw. You should be dead and because of Will, I’m talking to you now.” He leaned in, wrapped his arms around Mike and started sobbing into his chest. “I thought I lost you.” Lucas crying was rare, Mike could count on one hand how many times he had witnessed tears coming from those eyes before today, so he knew how serious he was.

Mike returned his embrace, clinging to him in a hug like they hadn’t shared in years. He felt more arms encircling the two of them, as each of the others joined in the embrace one by one. Every face wet, the sounds of sniffles and sobs coming from them all. They stayed that way for a long moment, basking in the love of family.

During the embrace, Mike could only think of Will, who by some supernatural force or some other insane ability had saved him from dying. In that one moment everything changed, especially for the two of them. Just yesterday, he had spoken to El about this very thing, about what Will would be able to do. The words she spoke rang in his memory:

_I think his gift will come from happiness and love._

_Not sure what he can do…yet._

_He has never had a Push._

_It’s going to be amazing…_

The conversation seemed like it took place ages ago, but he could remember it almost word for word. Now it was apparent what Will was capable of and that whatever happened to him during the fall became Will’s push. The shock was still there, and he would need to process the whole thing later. For now, he tried to stop piecing the puzzle together and enjoyed the warmth of being surrounded by his loved ones.

Sometime during their embrace. Steve had made his way over to the group and waited beside them for several moments, not wanting to interrupt. As the group started to separate, he spoke quietly, “Hate to break this up guys but we need to get back to Hawkins. Jonathan and El want to get Will to a warm bed and it’ll be dark soon. These dirt roads are dangerous after dark.” Steve was always the one who took charge when it came time to get things done. He always had an air of authority which he carried in a light-hearted manner. Today his face was tired and a little sad, showing rare emotion for someone who was normally so confident.

They all quietly went through the motions of packing up what hadn’t been done before the accident. Mike was walking toward the cars when he noticed that Dustin found the broken handle and pulleys back near the spot where he would have hit had El not caught him in her invisible net. Seeing and holding the busted rig must have ignited some anger and guilt inside of Dustin. Guilt that he built the machine that almost cost Mike his life. He leaned back and chucked the busted hunk of metal as far as he could into the deepest part of the water. Mike let him have the moment without interrupting. He would never blame or hold Dustin responsible for the accident, but he understood what his friend was feeling. He knew he would need to spend some time with Dustin over the next few days to reassure him and make sure that there were no reasons for him to have guilty feelings.

He made his way over to the station wagon where Will was laying in the back seat that faced the cargo compartment of his car, covered up in a thick blanket. El was sitting up, holding his head in her lap and running her fingers through his feathery chestnut hair. Jonathan was climbing out of the car when Mike got there. His face brightened a little when he saw him walking up and embraced him.

After returning his hug, Mike motioned toward his pair of friends, “Is he ok?” Guilt now weighed heavy on him like it had on Dustin moments ago. He knew deep down inside that the feeling was unnecessary but seeing Will like this was difficult. He was the kindest, most gentle soul he had ever known and was laying there, unconscious, because he sacrificed part of himself to save him.

Jonathan nodded his head, “Yeah, El seems to think he is. She couldn’t ‘feel’ him for a minute, but she says he is there now and just in a deep sleep. He’s really cold, so we are trying to warm him up.” Speaking about it caused Jonathan’s brow to furrow with worry. It would take them all some time to process and get accustomed to these new things. One great thing about this group of people, they were all well practiced at handling “weird”.

Jonathan started picking up coolers and other stuff that needed to be loaded up. He knew there wasn’t much more they could do for Will and that he was in the best care possible with El.

“We need to get this stuff loaded so we can get him home.” Jonathan spoke as he was loading the oversize trunk of his old LTD. He had a small subcompact that he drove in the city and only used the car while he was home in Hawkins.

Mike bent to help him, considering what he said, “Hold on Jonathan. I think our house would better. You know that no one is going to go home until they know Will is ok. We have twice the beds and three bathrooms. Plus, do you want to answer questions from Hop and your mom? You know they will freak out if they come home from the cabin and see him like this.”

Jonathan stopped chucking stuff into the car and looked at him thoughtfully, considering his words. Mike understood his conflict. Jonathan would want Will to be most comfortable, which would be his bedroom in their modest home. He also had to know Mike was right, if Joyce and Hop came home and saw Will in the state he was now, then there would be questions and the possibility of a freak out. This would lead to a new clamp down on Will and cause Joyce to become obsessed with his protection again. No one wanted to do that to Will. It was going to be hard enough for him without the pressure the older adults often added.

Before Jonathan decided, El spoke up from the back seat, “He’s right Jon, we can’t take him home yet. Mike’s house is like a second home to us all.”

It seemed like her words made the decision easier for Jonathan. “Ok, that’s what we’ll do. You guys are right. I got this Mike, you go rest and be with Will.” He took the cooler out of Mike’s hands and placed it in his car.

Mike climbed into the back seat to get a closer look at his friend. El gave him a warm smile and moved the blanket back just a little so his whole face was visible. It made him think of when Holly was born, and he walked into the hospital room to see his mom holding a tiny bundle. The smile was the same on Karen’s face as she parted the baby blanket and held her lower for him and Nancy to see their new sister.

Will looked to be sleeping soundly, although his skin was pale and normally pink lips were the lightest shade of purple and quivered every few seconds. He looked more like he’d been out in the cold sledding or in a snowball fight rather than at the end of a hot summer’s day. Mike couldn’t help but to be worried, causing the guilt to flare up again.

“He’s ok, Mike.” El spoke softly, reassuring him. “He just needs rest.” She continued stroking Will’s hair as she studied Mike for a minute. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I guess. I feel great…physically.” _For someone who should be dead._  He was still trying to wrap his head around what happened. It was going to take some time.

She reached up and touched Mike’s face, pulling him towards her until their foreheads met. Her eyes were heavy. Like everyone else, her emotional limit was being pushed and the intensity of the situation was overwhelming. “I’m just happy you’re ok. What he did was…” She stopped speaking not knowing what to say next, just like Lucas had been earlier. El was quiet and never spoke much to begin with but when she did, it was with confidence. Mike just nodded and sat there with them, his arm hanging over the seat so his hand could lay on Will’s shoulder.

About that time Lucas, Max and Dustin arrived at the car, ready to go. Lucas offered to drive which Mike gladly accepted, leaving him to share the backseat with Dustin. The ride home was quiet and went by quickly. The silence hung heavy in the car, so Max chose some mellow, relaxing music and let it play the entire trip. It made it easier for everyone to start dealing with what happened and prepare for all the questions that would inevitably come later.

Once back at the Wheeler house, they managed to carry Will up to Mike’s room before Jonathan and the others got there. He was still bloody and dirty, so Mike threw an old sheet over his bed to keep it from getting soiled, then covered him with a heavy winter quilt from the closet.

While Dustin and Mike were taking care of Will, the other three took showers. Max and El came upstairs after they were done so Mike and Dustin could have their turns. None of them wanted to leave Will but they all needed to clean up. Lucas stayed downstairs to unload the car and put stuff away.

Mike was still wearing the same clothes and needed a shower in the worst possible way. He was still feeling numb, taking care of Will and getting him comfortable helped to keep him busy earlier but now that he was alone in the bathroom, the gears in his head were starting to churn and chew on the overload of information and emotion from today’s events.

When he placed his head under the hot shower, the water around his feet started to turn pink and then darkened to red as the dried blood rinsed out of his hair and off his skin.

_It’s all mine. Jesus, how much did I lose?_

He washed and scrubbed until the water in the bottom of the tub ran clear and his skin was wrinkly and pink. He felt clean, which helped clear his mind to focus on what happened earlier. He remembered hitting the first big branch, his hands went to the side of his chest and pressed where he knew there had been broken ribs. Now there was no pain, he could breathe easy and effortlessly as if nothing happened. He tried to recall everything Lucas told him after he woke up, all the injuries he had. His hand moved from his chest down to his leg. High on the inside of his thigh was a faint pink scar. It was hard to see it in the dim light behind the shower curtain, but he could just make out the jagged raised pink skin that had the shape of a bizarre streak of lightning. It looked the same as a scar would years after the injury happened, though it had only been a gaping wound two hours earlier. A wound that should have ended his life. Lucas and El had both tried telling him what Will did and couldn’t seem to find the words to describe it, which only added to the confusion.

He ran a hand through clean hair this time and felt the back of his head again. Lucas said that he had bashed it, which must be why he had so few memories after the fall. He studied the back of his skull with his fingertips and found nothing out of the ordinary, no different than it had ever felt to him before. No one would ever be aware of the severity of the head injury, since it was not as immediately life threatening as the one on his leg.

Once he was done examining himself and the water started to run cold, Mike turned off the taps and got out. He dried off and dressed in a t-shirt and boxers, same thing he wore to bed every night. As he was about to leave the bathroom, he caught his reflection in the vanity mirror. Something seemed different, so he leaned in close and examined his reflection. As he ran his fingers across his cheek, the difference dawned on him. It was flawless. Not that he suddenly thought he was good looking, he still only saw a frog face staring back at him when he looked in the mirror. This time it was a face with perfect skin. Not a single pimple. blackhead or blemish was evident. He could no longer see the tiny painful bumps that continuously popped up after shaving. The skin on his face was sensitive and never reacted well to the cold metal blades of a straight razor, not since he was a baby-faced freshman had his face been so smooth. It dawned on him that this must be part of whatever magic Will had done.

When he walked into the hallway, El was sitting on the ground outside the closed door of his bedroom. She looked good, especially now that she was cleaned up with her hair tied back into a pony tail. It would be a lie if he tried to tell anyone he was no longer physically attracted to her.

She looked up at him, then a surprised expression popped on her face, “Wow, you look a lot better.”

“Thanks…I think?” It wasn’t the greeting he expected.

“I didn’t mean it in a bad way, goof. Last time I saw you, you looked like a horror movie victim.” She was smiling at him again.

He chuckled, the shower did make him feel a lot better, almost normal. His closed door reminded him of Will and the sad seriousness returned. If he could see and talk to Will again then everything might truly feel normal. They had made it through many crazy times before and he was sure they would get through this one too.

“So, why are you sitting out here and why is my door closed?”

“Jonathan is in there changing Will’s clothes and cleaning him up. I’m out here because Will would be horrified if I saw him naked, so it’s best if Jon takes care of that part by himself.” She explained. Even with the seriousness of the situation, Mike’s cheeks still tingled a little at the mention of Will without clothes. He also realized that he must’ve been in the bathroom longer than he thought for all this to have taken place. He slid his back down the wall and sat on the floor beside her.

After a few moments she looked over at him with that needy look that said she wanted to tell him something, but she either didn’t know what to say or was afraid of how he would respond.  He was disappointed when she looked away without speaking. After sitting there in silence for a while, he decided to force the issue, he needed answers.

“El…what happened?” Never had he asked her a more loaded two-word question.

She once again looked like she wanted to tell him something, but it was combined with a more familiar expression…frustration. She thought for a minute before speaking, maybe trying to piece together the correct words.

“I don’t really know. No one knows but him and he may not even understand it. I’ve assumed for a while that there was something there, but I had no idea it would be that.” She paused, looking as if she were going over it all again in her head, then continued, “After you fell and I set you down on the ground, Will got to you first and then Jason started working on you. I could tell how bad it was by Jason’s reactions, and when it was clear that there wasn’t anything he could do, I knelt down right beside Will…to be there if you…when you…umm…” Her voice caught and she swallowed hard as fresh tears welled up and ran down her cheeks. Mike put his arm around her and pulled her close to his side, holding her until she composed herself.

After a minute she cleared her throat and continued, “He was talking to you, trying to hang on to any little bit of hope he could, begging you to stay alive. Then something started building inside of him, it felt like he was going to explode. I can’t even describe it with words. I pushed everyone else away because I didn’t know what was happening and I didn’t want them to get hurt. It was so intense, there was so much…”

“Heat...” He interrupted her when a memory clicked into place. She nodded slowly, letting him know it was what she was going to say. “But it wasn’t bad. It hurt and felt wonderful at the same time. It was kind of like when you’re cold and jump into a super-hot bath or shower…just a lot stronger. It was all around me…inside of me.”

“So, you remember?”

He shook his head, “Just bits and pieces, little flashes of memory. I remember seeing Will and now I remember the heat, but nothing else until I woke up.”

“That’s probably a good thing.” The haunted look in her eyes was telling.

All he could think about now was Will after remembering the anguish on his face. All he wanted was to see him open his eyes and talk to him. It was frustrating that he was in such a deep and mysterious sleep.

“When do you think he’ll wake up?”

She sighed and shook her head, “I don’t know. I slept for almost two days after I closed the gate. I would guess that what he did today may have taken as much out of him as that did to me. It’s all different for each person, though. I don’t get tired like I did then. This was his first time, at least it’s his first time doing this much but he's older and stronger than I was.”

The last sentence caused Mike to sit up straight, “Wait, he’s done it before?”

“Didn’t we talk about that yesterday?”

“No, you said you had a theory about what he could do but you didn’t go any further.” He rarely forgot any part of a conversation, especially one that was so important.  

She pushed up the sleeve of the long sleeve t-shirt that she had borrowed from him to sleep in and traced her finger down the scar on her arm, “This happened early Friday morning, Hopper had to put stitches in it because it was so bad. When I woke up Saturday morning it was like this…almost like it never happened.”

Mike’s eyes flicked downward as the image of them kissing popped into his mind, but it wasn’t the kiss that he was focusing on, it was the shimmering air between them, the same effect heat causes on a summer day or when it pours out of an open oven. He touched the scar on her arm, brushing his finger tip across the raised pink skin.

“He healed it, didn’t he? When you were dancing Friday night, when you kissed him?” She nodded her head with a worried look in her eyes. “I saw the lights getting brighter and this weird shimmer in the air, I thought it was you.”

“The lights may have been me, but the other...it had to be him. Maybe he will know something when he wakes up.”

As if on cue, the bedroom door popped open causing them to jump. Jonathan walked out carrying a bundle of dirty laundry and a bucket filled with pinkish dirty water. They both looked up at him expectedly.

He shook his head. “Nothing yet. I got him cleaned up and changed. It’s not as good as a shower but he’ll be ok until he wakes up.” He held up the bundle, “I’ll add these to pile of stuff we need to get rid of. They’ll never come clean.” Jonathan headed for the stairs.

Mike and El stood up and walked into the room where Will was lying on his back, still in a deep sleep. Jonathan had wrapped him back up in the heavy quilt. His skin was still pale, but he looked much better now that most of the blood and dirt had been wiped away. El immediately laid down beside him and wrapped her arms around him, placing her forehead against his temple.

Mike stood there for a few moments watching them, then began mindlessly piddling with stuff on his desk, not knowing what to do. El laid there quietly, not speaking or paying attention to him or anything else around them. She was holding Will with her head pressed against his. He was quickly becoming aware that their relationship was more than just familial, it had grown into a symbiosis of sorts, or maybe they had been like that for a while and he was just now being allowed to see it.

After a short time, he started feeling uneasy, like an intruder in his own room. He knew that El would never intend for him to feel that way, but the feelings still came. Seeing them lay there without either of them acknowledging him or even pretending he existed was the exact reason he was uncomfortable in his most private space, his sanctum. No, that was the wrong word, uncomfortable was when you needed a bathroom and there wasn’t one within a mile. Uncomfortable was when the room temperature was a little off and could be fixed with a thermostat adjustment. Uncomfortable was a feeling that could be remedied quickly. Uncomfortable was the wrong way to describe how he felt, this was…jealousy. He didn’t want to just join them, he wanted to be between them or better yet, be in here with Will alone.

There was a time when those feelings of jealousy were flip flopped, when the intruder was Will and it was El that held Mike’s attention.

 

* * *

 

 

Mike knew he had a problem with being possessive and thought he had conquered it when his relationship with El ended. Before their breakup, his immaturity and attitude started to come between him and his other friends, even Will. None of it was ever Will’s fault but it was Mike’s insecurity toward El that caused the problems. It seemed like he was always there when Mike would finally get to see her and spend time with the girl he loved. He began to see Will as a pest, an unwanted remora hanging around when he wanted and deserved to be alone with his first girlfriend. In Mike's eyes Will became someone who was there to watch over them or, even worse, a spy for Hopper who only wanted to keep El away from the world, specifically him. Mike allowed his unhealthy paranoia to turn Will into something far worse than what he truly was.

It came to a boiling point on the day when he was finally being allowed to visit her at the cabin, alone. It took months of asking and when Hopper finally consented, he was the happiest boy in Roane County. Hop would be at work or away doing some other business, so it would just be the two of them, a movie, boxes of candy and a bucket of popcorn. He had no ulterior motives or desires but just wanted to be alone with her the way they had been the week they first met.

He showered and dressed in some of his best clothes, not church clothes but the ones his mom kept in her closet for special occasions like picture days or when his family came to visit for thanksgiving. He had the whole afternoon planned, even bought a new copy of _E.T._ the day before because theirs was warped and static ridden from having been watched so many times. The movie was a few years old, but he thought it was perfect for El. It always reminded him a little of them during the week they first met, when he hid her in his basement the same way Elliot did with his alien friend. He just knew she would love it.

His mom gave him a ride out to where the dirt road ended, and they hiked the rest of the way up the hill to the old cabin. There was a bounce to his step, and he couldn’t help wearing a huge goofy smile as he walked beside his mother, who was trying to stifle a giggle at his adorable puppy love. Once the cabin was in view, Karen hugged her son and left him to his deserved privacy, promising to pick him up a few hours later. When El answered the door, all he could see was her smile and dimples. She seemed as happy as he was when she took his hand and brought him inside.

His heart, which had been floating on a cloud of pure happiness, was slammed to the ancient wood floor when they rounded the corner and he saw Will sitting on the old burnt orange and yellow couch. Any other time he would have been ecstatic and even excited to see his best friend but seeing him today was no different than seeing Hopper or one of the other evil adults in his life that seemed to want nothing more than to keep him away from her. Will was coming to greet him with a huge toothy grin like always but was met with such an acidic glare from Mike that he stopped dead in his tracks, the pure smile vaporizing, replaced with fear that he had done something awful. Mike didn’t care how he made Will feel at that moment, he was crushed and hurt, he felt betrayed by the last person he would ever expect it from.

He looked at El, the evidence of anger and betrayal all over his face, and her smile dissolved, too.

“He had nowhere else to go Mike, Ms. Byers went with dad. I didn’t think you would care if it was just Will.” She spoke in a soft voice hoping to disarm the bomb that was threatening to go off inside of him.

“Why can’t we have one day?” He pleaded with her, then he looked at Will, “Why the fuck are you here?” He growled while stalking towards him in a raised voice. It wasn’t the words that caused Will to crumble but it was the way they were spoken. Never had Mike talked to him in such a vicious tone or used such aggressive body language toward him. Lucas, Max, Dustin and even El had all been the victims of his smart mouth and temper before, but he had never targeted Will. He had always been afforded special treatment from Mike but had also never done anything to deserve an attack, still hadn’t. Those six words dripped with venom and stung Will enough to make him physically flinch then cower like a dog who had been hit by their abusive owner. He turned and sprinted into El’s bedroom, slamming the door behind him, probably would have ran into the woods had Mike not stood between him and the front door.

After watching him leave and feeling a brief smug satisfaction that someone else was suffering, Mike turned back to one of the scariest things he had ever witnessed. El was glaring at him with her head tilted forward, scowling like she had the night she took the lives of several soldiers in the hallway of Hawkins Middle.

“El?” He was terrified, cowering from her stare and even thought for a moment she was going to scramble his brain or hurt him for what he had done to Will. Her look softened when they heard the sobs coming from the other side of the door Will had slammed a few seconds before. Shame flooded through him. Just as Will had never been the victim of Mike’s words before, Mike had never caused the sweet and innocent boy to be in pain like this. He took a step toward the door to try and make amends but froze before he could take another, locked in an invisible vise, unable to move anything but his eyes.  

“No.” She spoke with a stark coldness, a tone she had never used with him. He could only watch as she walked past him and waved her hand, opening the door to her bedroom. She disappeared into the room, slamming the door behind her. After the door slammed, she released him from the hold, and he fell to his knees. He was mortified, thinking that his selfishness may have just cost him the girl he loved and his best friend. What would it have harmed if Will watched the movie with them? He probably would have left them alone and went to El’s room to draw or something like that. Will’s natural empathy and selflessness would have made the day just as special as if he hadn’t been there at all. Mike’s self-loathing took over and he wanted nothing more than to have the last ten minutes back, but he knew that was impossible. The damage was done.

He put his ear to the bedroom door and could hear her comforting him while he wept. She was even defending Mike’s actions by trying to justify his anger. Explaining that it wasn’t him that Mike was mad at but that he was frustrated with the whole situation and just took it out on him. The quiet sobs were the only sounds coming from Will, it broke his heart. Mike raised his hand to knock but thought better of it, not knowing if there were any words he could say that would fix what he had done. He didn’t know what to do, so he left the cabin and headed for home, leaving the movie and popcorn behind, hoping Will and Eleven might at least enjoy it.  

The walk home took about an hour. His mom was surprised to see him so soon after dropping him off. She could tell he was upset and didn’t pursue him or ask for an explanation but left him alone, knowing he would come to her if he needed to. Karen pieced most of it together when the doorbell rang later that afternoon and she opened the door to see Will and El wearing somber faces. She invited them in and waved to Chief Hopper and Joyce who were still sitting in the Police SUV parked in the road. The families were so close that the wave was an unspoken agreement that Karen would deliver the kids back home after they had spent some time with Mike, hopefully repairing whatever happened between them.

Mike was still crying when the unexpected knock came at his bedroom door. He was surprised, relieved and scared all at once when he saw her standing there with a blank expression, then ashamed and heartbroken again when he saw Will standing sheepishly behind her with a downcast face and red rimmed eyes. He was holding the brand-new copy of E.T. and the bucket filled with boxes of candy and two pouches of microwave popcorn. Mike didn’t speak but moved to the side, inviting them in. After the door closed, the damn broke as the guilt overwhelmed him and he started sobbing. Will was the first to come to him, wrapping his arms around Mike’s middle and burying his face in his chest. El came next, matching Will’s posture, only on the other side. At the time, they were both still much shorter than him and Mike remembered laying his head on top of both of theirs and holding them for several minutes.

After they had all composed themselves and let go of one another, he started to apologize. El quickly shushed him and led them to the basement where she put the movie in and sent Will to take care of the popcorn. Only then did she finally speak.

She hugged him again and looked him in the eye, “I know you are sorry and feel terrible for what you did. I understand why you were mad, and I forgive you. But…you can never do that to him again. He loves you more than you know. Promise me, Mike.” Her eyes were stern and serious, almost motherly. He knew then that if anyone ever hurt Will, then there would be a vicious telekinetic hunting them until they were extinct.

“I do, I one hundred percent promise. I can’t believe I did that. I thought I had lost you both.”

Her eyes changed back to normal and she smiled up at him. “Nope,” then pulled him down for a quick kiss.

Part of him still wished they could have had some alone time, but Will was much more important than that. The trio spent the rest of the afternoon on the couch in the basement, watching the movie while eating popcorn and candy. There were no immediate consequences of his actions, but that day did mark the beginning of the end of their romantic relationship. They never spoke of what happened again and to this day, he has never again spoken to Will with a single harsh or angry word again. Soon after that day, Will became the one who was there for him during and after the breakup. Then it was Mike’s tears staining Will’s shirt as they worked through that bad time together.

 

* * *

 

 

Remembering what happened then cooled his current jealousy, being more mature and confident now also helped. He knew that the two of them came in a set. Whoever was lucky enough to end up with either of them would be forced to allow the other to be a part of their lives. He would accept that gladly if it meant he could be with Will.

With his emotions now back under control, he knew there were things that needed to be done downstairs while she spent some time with Will. He quietly backed out of the bedroom, shutting the door behind him and headed toward the steps.

When he got to the main floor, everyone else except Jonathan was sitting in the formal living room to the left of the stairs. They turned to look at him, all looking tired and somber, the only face that stood out to him was Jason’s, who was looking at him with a mixture of fear and wonder. Shock was also evident in his eyes, Mike had seen it enough times to know.

He glanced at Dustin, giving him a questioning look and tilting his head slightly to the side.

Dustin sighed then explained, “We just gave him ‘The Talk’ and he’s still processing.” Throwing up air quotes as he spoke.

“Oh…everything?” Mike was surprised it happened so soon after today’s events but knew it was probably overdue. Through Steve, Jason was a part of their lives and it was only a matter of time before he was introduced to their stranger side. Instead of being allowed to wade in and learn gradually, he was thrown in the deep end and given all of it in one big chunk. What happened at the lake was just another rung on their ladder of weirdness and Mike hoped that Jason could handle it without breaking or distancing himself from them.

“Yep, all of it. At least a quick version. Well, other than what happened today.”

“I guess we will all work on that together,” Mike looked sympathetically over to Jason, “Are you ok?”

He shrugged his shoulders and gave a half nod. Mike noticed for the first time that Steve was holding his hand. Jason seemed to be latched onto him as if trying to hang on to some semblance of normal. After a few seconds passed he finally spoke, “I should be asking you that…but, yeah, I’m ok and I’m glad you are, too. I knew there was something different about you guys, but I had no idea.” The last sentence was spoken to them all and not just Mike.

Mike knew that everyone was tired, and that the conversation wasn’t going to go much deeper into the night, so he spoke to all of them before he lost their attention. “It’s been awhile since this stuff has happened but don’t forget the rules. No one outside this room can know and we treat Will the same as always. It's gonna be tough not asking him about it but let him bring it up and talk about it on his time. The same we’ve done for him, El, Dustin and Hopper before.”

He looked at them all in the eye as each of them nodded in agreement. A few seconds later Jason chimed in, “Wait, what happened with Dustin and Hop? You guys didn’t say anything about them earlier.”

Dustin spoke up first, “It’s no big deal really, we were just infected with mind controlling venom from the Upside Down. El saved us after she tore down half the mall and killed a few baddies.”

The look on Jason’s face was priceless, with his eyes open wide and mouth hanging open. Steve interrupted before anyone else could tell much more, “And that will be a story for another day. I’m sure he’s had enough for tonight.” They all had a short laugh at Jason’s expense.

After consoling their newest friend and trying to settle him down, several of them said their goodnights and started to get ready for bed. Nancy and Mike busied themselves setting up the others with a place to sleep. Lucas and Dustin would be in the basement, Steve and Jason would be in the living room on the pull-out, and the plan was for Max and El to sleep in Holly’s room but that was contingent on El. She would only leave Will if she wanted to and Mike had already planned to sleep in the basement with his other two friends even though he wanted to be with Will.

After everyone else was in bed and the house was dark and quiet, he went up to his door and listened for a second. He could see the light coming from underneath but didn’t hear anything, so he turned the knob as quietly as he could and walked in. El was still laying on the bed beside Will and when she heard him, quickly sat up.

“Sorry El, I was just getting my blankets and a pillow. I’ll be out of here in a second.” He opened his closet to get what he needed.

“Mike wait, you should stay. It’s your room. I was just spending some time with him and seeing if I could feel anything different. I don’t want Max to sleep alone.”

He was surprised she was willing to leave and briefly wondered if it was because of what he told her at the pool party about his feelings for Will. It was crazy to him that the conversation had only taken place yesterday and seemed like years ago.

“Ok, are you sure? I thought you might want to be here when he wakes up.” He half expected her to change her mind.

“I don’t know when he’ll wake up, it could be awhile. He’s still shivering so I put him under all the covers to try and keep him warm. It seemed to really help when I held him, it was the only reaction I could get from him.” It almost sounded like she was a parent giving him babysitting instructions. She started toward the door and gave him a hug before she left. He felt her stiffen a little. “Wow, you’re really warm, maybe I’m just used to Will being cold.” Her face twisted in thought for a split second, “Yeah, that’s got to be it. Anyway, take care of him…goodnight Mike.”

“Goodnight, I’ll let you know if anything changes.”

She chuckled, “Ok, but you won’t have to.” She tapped her temple, as if he needed a reminder that she would already know, then shuffled out of the room.

After she left, the room became eerily quiet, only the whisper of Will’s steady breathing could be heard. Mike flipped his stereo on and turned it down to where he could just barely hear it. The background noise it offered was a welcome break to the dead silence. He laid out a few blankets and pillows on the floor and took off his shirt. He wanted to lay in the bed with Will but with him out cold it didn’t seem right to do that. It felt the same as laying in a hospital bed with someone who was sick, so Mike would do the next best thing and set up a spot on the floor right next to him, just like when they were younger.

After turning the lights out he went over and laid a hand on Will’s forehead then slid his fingers down to his cheek. Both spots still felt unnaturally cold. His lips were starting to quiver again, so Mike pulled the blankets up around him, covering the lower part of his face and tucking him in tight.

He settled down on the makeshift bed, just beside Will. More than anything, he wanted to climb in with him and surround him with all the body heat he could provide. He worried what Will would think if he woke up with them like that. He also worried a little about the others in the house who could come in the room and see them that way. The shame attached with cuddling with your almost-adult best friend was stuck in Mike’s head. Young boys doing it was acceptable but at their age things were different. He laid down on the floor and closed his eyes, trying in vain to get some sleep.

In the near silence, with only the light music breaking through the quiet, Mike began hearing tiny whimpers coming from Will every few seconds. It wasn’t loud, and doubted he would have even heard the pitiful, heart wrenching noise if he hadn’t been lying so close to the bed. Soon the whimpers were accompanied by the light chattering of his teeth. Over the next few minutes the chattering got worse, the clicking got louder and louder.

Mike buried his head under a pillow, blocking his ears and trying to smother the sounds of Will’s suffering. He felt responsible, it was his fault that Will was like this. The whimpering and the muted clicking of teeth soon became his own version of Poe’s tell-tale heart. Only minutes passed but it seemed like an eternity while he listened to Will’s discomfort. Guilt riddled him. Mike couldn’t take it anymore and sat upright in the makeshift bed. He stood up, grabbed his pillow and blanket and walked over to the door. He grabbed the cool metal of the knob, wanting…needing to get away from those sounds. He would go get El or Max and hand Will’s care off to them, they would know how to take care of him better than he ever could.

He paused before opening the door, looking back over his shoulder as Will moaned and shifted in his sleep. He rolled from lying on his back to his side, causing the heavy quilt to slip down. It was the first movement he had made on his own since Mike had seen him in the back seat of his car. The room was dimly lit in soft blue light from the streetlamp in the middle of the cul-de-sac, and he was able to see Will’s shoulders trembling.

_It seemed to really help when I held him…_

The words El spoke before she left echoed in his thoughts. Most of all he remembered how she said them, as if she were telling him what to do.

Mike let his hand slip from the door knob, falling lazily to slap himself on the thigh. He knew how he could help Will, he just had to get past all the stigma and worry about what others might think or say. He still wasn’t completely sure what Will did to him earlier, but he knew that Will didn’t care about what they thought, didn’t care that he was exposing a new truth about himself. He had acted quickly and saved him, consequences be damned. Will always acted with his heart. Without him Mike knew he would have died right there by the lake and now here he was worried what someone else might think because he helped and comforted someone he loved. He forced the shame and worry away and let his true emotions take over.  He let go of the selfishness and finally put Will’s needs first.

He walked slowly to the bed, pulled back the covers and climbed in. Will had turned so that his back faced the door which left plenty of room for Mike to slide in behind him. After pulling the sheets and comforter tightly around them, he wrapped one long arm around his midsection, flinching when he first touched Will’s unnaturally cool skin. He pulled him towards the middle of the bed while sliding his other arm under Will’s head, hugging him tight. His chest and belly were now flush against Will’s bare back. It took a few moments for him to get accustomed to the odd coolness of his friend’s body. He tucked his legs behind Will’s, trying to give him as much of his body heat as possible.

They had cuddled before but never in such an intimate way. His motives weren’t lustful or sexual, although it would be a lie to say that he wasn’t enjoying being the big spoon for the first time. Will’s body was hard or soft in all the right places, they seemed to fit together perfectly with Mike’s longer frame and wider shoulders covering Will in a blanket of body heat. He even managed to still smell good, even though he had only been sponged off when they got home. The coolness of his body helped overcome the stifling cover of the heavy blankets in the middle of summer. Mike fell into the comfort of holding the boy he loved and relaxed with his nose and lips pressed to Will’s shoulder.

Not long after he climbed into the bed, Will’s teeth stopped clicking together. The whimpering and shuddering stopped soon after. A few minutes later when he was close to nodding off, all the sounds and reflexive motions from Will being cold, ceased. His body relaxed, all the tight muscles and tension eased, it was almost like he was trying to get closer and melt against Mike’s warm body. He let out a contented sigh and laid his hand on Mike’s forearm, squeezing it gently, as if his unconscious mind was testing to see if he was real. Mike snuggled up to him tight as possible, burying his face in the crook between Will’s neck and shoulder. He was rewarded with another relaxed sigh and a quiet, almost babylike, coo. The thoughts of any of the others or what they would think were gone and only the feel of Will pressed against him mattered.

The warm feelings he had from lying with Will allowed Mike’s mind to finally focus on what happened at the lake. Since he woke up, the time to ponder it simply hadn’t been there. Being alive and considering death is normal for every person from time to time. Being alive and knowing you should be gone is a completely different feeling. He was lying here holding the person that brought him back this time. The thought of that and then considering what Will sacrificed for him caused pent up tears to flow. He had been given yet another chance at life, a life that should have ended on so many occasions before, but there was always someone there to save him. He thought of all the different times he should have died: stepping off the cliff at the quarry lake, the schoolroom when the Demogorgon came crashing through the door, in Hawkins Lab and the Byers’ living room surrounded by Demodogs, the vines in the tunnel underneath Hawkins, in the basement of Starcourt mall being strangled by one of his best friends. All those times he should have died and didn’t because someone saved him, whether it was El, Steve, Hopper or even Bob Newby. Never had he gotten so close to death as he did today. This time he had been mortally wounded and still one of his loved ones was there to pull him back from the clutches of death yet again. It just so happened that the one he loved the most was responsible this time.

It was all overwhelming for him to think about. He tried not to dwell on it too long or let the thoughts consume him. Thinking about what Will did made his feelings for him swell even more. He was happy that he didn’t choose to leave a few minutes before, glad that he chose to stay with Will. Holding him like this felt natural and right, he no longer cared what anyone would think. He thought back to that morning, lying in almost the same spot he was now, when Will had touched him in such an intimate way and his eyes had been full of something Mike had never seen before. At the time it looked like passion or maybe even…desire. Could he be so lucky that Will had the same feelings for him or was that just him being his usual touchy self. It sure felt like Will had those feelings, too. Maybe that was what El meant about him being oblivious. Maybe he needed to weigh the facts and reach for what he dearly wanted. That courage awoke again in Mike and he hugged Will even tighter to him. His hand was lying near Will’s heart, he could feel its strong steady beat and the gentle rise and fall of his chest with each deep breath. They were both alive against all odds and he realized that it could no longer be taken for granted.

He would never be able to remember or tell anyone the exact moment he fell in love with Will, but he would always be able to remember when he decided to tell Will how he felt, to stop hiding in the shadows of self-doubt and what other people thought. He would always remember the night when he had held him for the first time as more than just a friend. He would remember every little detail because that time was right now. As sure as he would have kissed Will this morning had that sinister phone not rang, he was going to tell him how he felt as soon as he could. He didn’t need to waste any more time, he could only hope that Will felt the same way.

He began feeling the uncomfortable pain of circulation loss in the arm that was under Will’s head. When he started to adjust his arm, Will’s hand gripped his arm tighter as if forbidding him to move. Mike adjusted as much as he could and finally felt the warm tingle of relief as blood flowed back into his arm. As he relaxed so did Will, once again melting back against Mike’s chest and gripping his arm even tighter this time. It was almost like they were one piece, anytime Mike moved or adjusted, Will would flow right back into the most comfortable spot. He had never had such feelings for anyone before, even El, who he had been so enamored with after they met. Then he was just a boy but now he had the ability to choose who he wanted. He laid his cheek against Will’s ear.

As soon as they touched the image of Will’s crying face above him came into his mind. Something was different about it this time, though. The image was crystal clear as if he was there again and he could even hear some of the things going on around him, though the sounds were ethereal and distant. He could hear Jason, Steve and Lucas talking in loud panicked voices. There was a girl crying near him, it was hard to tell who it was but for some reason he knew it was El. Most of all he could hear Will, who was almost choking on heavy sobs. He felt several of the tears streaming out of Will’s eyes splash against his face, warm and clear.

Just when the vision seemed to be over and everything was starting to fade, Will’s voice, now crystal clear and right above him, pulled him back.

_Mike, I’m here, please look at me. I need you to open your eyes._

Will’s face came into focus above him, his eyes red and heavy. He thought he could even feel Will’s hands in his hair, tugging just slightly. He wanted to answer and tell him that he was there but couldn’t. Then he realized what he was seeing. This wasn’t a new dream or vision, he knew he was witnessing what really happened earlier that day, almost like he was reliving it. His heart, in the present, was thumping in his chest like a bass drum.

_Mike don’t leave me._

Will’s voice was so strained and full of emotion that it was almost unbearable. Seeing him like this was breaking Mike’s heart.

_I…I’m here with you and I’m not leaving. I need you to know something._

He couldn’t take much more of this. He needed to know what Will said after that, but he didn’t want to see him in pain any longer. Parts of the vision were moving incredibly fast and others were moving slow like slogging through a flood of molasses.

_You mean more to me than anyone in the world._

It took Mike’s breath when he heard those words. It dawned on him that this would have been Will’s final confession to him as he lay dying. This was what he would have heard last before the darkness closed in. Then the reality of what Will said hit. He was more important to Will than anyone in the world? That couldn’t be right. What about his mom, who had sacrificed and fought so hard for him? What about El, who he was pair-bonded to in a way that no one could possibly understand? What about Jonathan, his only brother? But, Will had said the words, Mike meant more to him than anyone else in existence. His heart fluttered knowing that he meant as much to Will as Will meant to him.

_Mike…_

He was surprised there was more after that. What else could Will possibly have said? He was not ready for what he heard and saw next. Knowing these were only memories was the only thing that kept him grounded. Knowing that this sadness was in the past still didn’t prepare him for the words.

_Mike…I lo…_

Before he could finish the last word, Will’s eyes rolled back in his head. Mike briefly felt the heat that he remembered earlier coursing through his body again, though not as intense as before. The memory and the heat slowly faded, and Mike found himself back in the present, curled up with Will.

His heart was pounding, and he was breathing fast and heavy. The icy-hot tingle of adrenaline was coursing through his veins. There could be no doubt what Will was going to say when he was silenced by whatever wondrous magic that he had used to save Mike. No other word could possibly make sense following an exchange like that, but Mike was still having a hard believing that he heard him say it.

As the rush faded and the warm afterglow set in, he focused on the boy he lay cheek to cheek with. For the first time he noticed that Will’s heart was beating fast too, and like his, it was also slowing to normal. Maybe Will had been having a dream too, or maybe he had been moving or talking in his sleep and Will’s heart was racing because of it. He couldn’t comprehend or know that they had been experiencing the same vision, the same memory. Couldn’t know that he had just experienced a small piece of the visions Will had from time to time. He was still trying to calm himself down and process the words Will had spoken.  

The rush and excitement of the memory soon began to fade, and much needed sleep started gnawing its way in. His eyes were growing heavy and he knew he couldn’t fight it off much longer, so he turned all his attention to the boy in his arms. Will’s skin was no longer cool, it almost felt like he was starting to give off his own body heat again. He took in a deep breath through his nose. He smelled of sun-bathed skin with undertones of the soap Jonathan washed him with. Mike turned and gently placed his lips at the top of Will’s neck just behind his ear. Will inhaled deeply and it almost seemed like he pushed back into the innocent kiss. Just before sleep over took him, Mike moved so his mouth was right next to Will’s ear and, even though he knew the words wouldn’t be heard, took in a breath and whispered.

“I love you too.”

 

* * *

 

 

*Chapter Bonus*

El

Eleven knew she probably wouldn’t find sleep easily.

Max was already passed out in Holly’s twin bed when she got there after leaving Mike’s room. She prodded the sleeping girl in the side until she rolled over, leaving enough room for El to climb in the bed with her. The two of them were accustomed to sleeping in the same bed after many overnighters at the cabin and Max’s house.

The events of the day should have tired her out to the point where sleep shouldn’t have been a problem, but the worry and stress of not being able to communicate with Will was keeping her awake. She knew he was there, but he was not responding to anything she tried, which was maddening. She was spoiled and accustomed to getting her way, especially when it came to her mental ability.

She pushed her back against Max’s side, needing the comfort of the contact with her best friend, then closed her eyes and tried doing some of the breathing exercises Nancy taught her to calm her mind and thoughts. One bad side effect of having the abilities she possessed was an over active brain that was sometimes difficult to calm when she needed rest.

She was just on the edge of falling asleep when the familiar warmth of Will washed over her. It was like a breath of fresh air and made her realize how accustomed to his constant presence she had gotten; how much she took it for granted. When he first passed out, she thought the worst had happened because he completely disappeared for a few minutes, almost like he’d folded in on himself after what he did to save Mike. A short time after, he returned but the feeling was washed out and muted, only a shadow of how he normally felt. She spent the last hour with him trying everything to break through and figure out how to fix him. Nothing worked.

She left him in Mike’s care hoping that he might be able to help Will climb out of whatever dark hole he was trapped in inside his head. He was always happier when he was with Mike and now, she knew why. He was in love with Mike, rather they were in love with each other but were both still trying to piece it together. She didn’t want to play matchmaker but had no qualms about giving them little nudges toward each other, especially after everything that happened today. Before leaving she told Mike that body contact seemed to make Will better. She had a feeling that he listened to her advice and it might be why Will was back.

Soon after Will returned to normal, it began to feel like he was having one of his flashback visions. He didn’t need that to happen right now and she briefly wondered if she could help him stop it before it got bad. She sat up in the bed, not wanting to interrupt him and Mike, but if he needed her then she had to go.

Then something extraordinary happened which made her freeze in place before getting out of bed.

Will's mental presence started to echo, pinging as if he were in two places at one time. She realized it wasn’t the tortured feeling that she normally got from him during his visions but something different. It was sadness at first but soon turned to happiness. She wondered if he was just having an intense dream but that didn’t explain that odd echo. It was him in both places, it felt almost like he was broadcasting his thoughts or sharing them with someone. She wondered if he were somehow showing a vision or dream to Mike. She knew it could be done, her Mama had shared one with her years ago, but as far as she knew, Mike didn't have any sort of special mental ability. She got excited and couldn’t wait to see if what happened today would open new doors in Will’s mind. Her heart was beating fast, until now she hadn’t thought about how the terrible accident might turn out good for all of them, especially Will. A silver lining on this dark cloud would be him realizing the power that had been within him for a long time. It was still too early to think about that though, they needed to get through the next few days first.

“El, if you don’t lay down and be still, I’m going to kick you out of the bed.” Max’s groggy voice brought her out of her thoughts, she was still sitting up and probably had been fidgeting while thinking about Will, moving enough to disturb Max’s sleep

“I’m sorry Max, I’m just worried.” She forced herself to lay back down.

Max slipped a comforting arm around her waist, “I know babe but he’s with Mike, right? I’m sure he’s fine. You need to get some sleep.”

El nodded and leaned back against her friend, trying to relax. The odd echo feeling she was getting from Will ended after a few minutes. Now she only felt his normal, steady presence with no negative emotions or distress. She knew this meant he was finally resting, comfortable and content. It no longer felt like when he had the flashbacks, so her worry started to abate, and she was finally able to calm her mind and think about things other than Will.

Before falling asleep she turned over and pulled Max into a much-needed embrace. Because she spent her entire childhood neglected of true love and physical contact, El took every opportunity she could to cuddle and love her friends. Mostly it was Will she shared that contact with, but Max was a close second. At times like this she was careful to temper her feelings toward her best friend, though it was difficult at times, especially now with Mike and Will so inevitably close to finding each other. El knew that Max only had eyes for Lucas, but she also longed for a partner to share that part of her life with.

For her, falling in love had nothing to do with them being a boy or a girl but had everything to do with the person. She had truly loved Mike with his strong will, devotion and loving patience but knew that fate put them together at the wrong time. She was way too young and immature to be anything more than a friend, but Mike was easy to become infatuated with. Anyone who has ever been the focus of his laser-like intensity knows that.

Max was the other side of the coin, she was soft and sweet but could just as quickly be hard and strong. Where Mike was brooding and intense, Max was light and breezy but also caring and extremely loyal. She was beautiful and such a pure presence that El couldn’t help but have feelings for her, too.

Last summer her and Joyce were able to spend some quality time together one weekend. Hopper was pulling the weekend watch at Hawkins PD, the boys were staying at Mike’s and Max was visiting her father in California, so her and Joyce had the house all to themselves. During one of their talks that evening she had confided in her stepmother about her crush on Max. Joyce had been fully supportive and even admitted that she had worked through similar feelings for one of her friends when she was in high school. El didn’t understand why you couldn’t just love who you loved no matter what sex they were, and Joyce tried her best to explain why society was the way it was. In the end, El could care less about what society or others thought, but she had to weigh other factors as well. She knew it would only cause problems if she pursued that kind of relationship with Max, that it could fracture her other friendships and even the party itself. Being her best friend was so important that she didn’t even like imagining anything more.

She attempted to look for that deeper relationship with others, but the party was always lingering...protective. Anytime a boy at school tried to get close, they had a wall of five others to work around before they got to El. No one ever got far. It was already hard enough being the daughter of the Police Chief...A two hundred-and fifty-pound Police Chief who carried a big gun and always wore a harsh glare on his face. If there was ever such a thing as boy repellant…Jim Hopper was it. It seemed like most of the other girls were just mean and would never accept her into their peer groups. She found most of them silly and cliché and preferred to stay in the comfort of her tight circle of friends. Other than Max, the only other girl she became good friends with was Jenn, Will’s ex-girlfriend. She was incredibly intelligent and treated El with total respect. Through Will, they had become good friends and even now spent time together when they could. She would have been a perfect choice, but it was obvious that she was still enamored with Will.

She had even considered other party members at times, but it never materialized into anything romantic. Max and Lucas had each other. Even if they were on a break, it was understood that it was probably temporary. Will was too much like a brother even though he was good looking and probably the sweetest person she would ever know, not to mention that he was madly in love with Mike. Her and Mike already had their time together and his mutual feelings for Will excluded him, though that wasn't a road she ever really considering travelling again. Dustin was the most logical candidate to pair with. He was handsome, strong and sensitive but seemed to hold her at arm’s length romantically, probably out of respect to her, Hopper and the other party members. She had even tried to flirt with him on occasion but it either wasn’t getting through or he had his eyes set elsewhere. She knew that if she were to find a special someone -and they would absolutely have to be special to get through her loved one’s wall of protection- that it would have to be outside her family.

She sighed deeply and thought of Steve and Jason. It took Steve a couple of years to get over Nancy but once he got out of Hawkins, he seemed to find himself, which then allowed him to find love again in Jason. When he brought the stunning blond-haired boy home, El knew immediately that they were smitten with each other and that Steve had found his special someone, even though they hadn’t officially declared themselves a couple. It was encouraging that she was close to taking a similar leap into a bigger world outside of Hawkins. She knew that if she waited, like Steve, that she would find the perfect person one day, whether it be a boy or a girl.

For now, she would need to rely on the physical contact from Will and Max to satisfy that need. There was someone out there for her, she only needed to find them. The thoughts of who that person could possibly be were still floating through her thoughts as she fell into a deep comfortable sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There it is. Our boys are back together (kind of) and Mike knows what has to be done. I threw in the El/Jane POV at the end of this because I wrote it for another chapter but it didn't really fit there so I used it here. I love that character so much. 
> 
> Next chapter will be almost completely Will's POV.
> 
> I hope you liked this chapter. It was more of a bridge part of the story and I hope it wasn't too slow or boring. Next chapter will be extra fluffy and wonderful, I promise. Good things are starting to happen again. Please leave me a comment. You guys are the best readers in the world and it is truly wonderful to hear from you. I will finish this fic before ST3 drops and blows all of our HCs up. 
> 
> Chapter 8 will be out soon. It will be called:
> 
> The New Normal?
> 
>  
> 
> tumblr @thepragmaticrebel


	8. The New Normal?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Its a new day and Will and Mike see each other for the first time after the lake accident. They just want to make it as fun a holiday as possible considering all the new and different things affecting their relationship with each other and their friends. Normal may not ever be the same for them again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again I do apologize for being so long with this update. I went ahead and included two full chapters so its quite long. You all are the best readers and I really love the wonderful comments you leave. Please let me know what you think about this addition, It would be greatly appreciated. I hope you enjoy it.

Monday July 4th, 1988

 

Will

Will opened his eyes and pulled in a deep breath as he looked from side to side, taking a few moments to get his bearings and to figure out where he was and what was happening around him. It didn’t take long to realize he was somewhere different, very different. Everything was black but it had its own strange version of lighting, he could see his own body but nothing else. The air was strange, almost as if he were breathing nothing, no smell, no heat or cold, nothing. It was plain and bland like it wasn’t even air at all, as if it didn’t even exist.

His mind started to work out the details and he soon realized where he might be. El had described the void to him a dozen times. It was the place she went to find people and see things and was also the place that they met for the first time. It was in the void that she had held his hand and talked to him for almost a minute when she found him in the Upside Down. Anyone else she touched vanished in a smoky cloud except her mother and others who had gifts like hers and those touches were only for a second or less.

_Why am I here? I need her._

“El are you here! Can you hear me?” He called out as loud as he could hoping she might be able to hear him, “El!” He yelled out one more time, but it was only him and the nothing, not even an echo.

He closed his eyes and tried to reach out to her the same way he did in the real world but was only met with more dead silence. He was usually able to get at least some feeling from her and it came on stronger once she realized he was calling. Because of her, he had forgotten what it felt like to be alone. She had become a security blanket. She was annoying and pissed him off sometimes, but he needed her, especially now. She had tried to bring him with her several times before, but they could never make it work and now he was here, alone, with no idea how to leave or navigate this place.

A slight feeling of despair started to creep in, as he hadn’t been truly alone since he was rescued from the Upside Down. Before it could get too bad, something caught his eye far off in the distance, a tiny speck of light, growing as it neared. As the shape got closer, he realized it was a person walking towards him. At first, he was afraid, scared of who or what it might be. As the person got closer, the washed-out white light turned pink, then he could see details. His heart took a leap in his chest as he realized it was El. She had heard him after all and was coming for him, although it was strange that he still couldn’t feel her presence. Hopefully she would be able to help him out of here or explain why he was here in the first place.

As she came closer, just a few feet away now, he only got more confused. It wasn’t El as he knew her today. It wasn’t even her when he saw her for the first time at the Snow Ball dance. This version was younger with short, almost shaved hair, shorter hair than Will ever had on his own head. The pink color he saw was from the dress she had on, its lacey panels and white collar looked a little ridiculous on the girl with a shaved head.

She smiled at him with a younger version of the sweet, dimpled expression that he was accustomed to, “Hello Will.” He was surprised by how high pitched her voice was, he was accustomed to her having the deeper voice of a woman who was almost an adult.

“H…hey, El?” Her smile faltered for a moment; his stutter betrayed the confusion of seeing her like this.

She stood in front of him and looked him up and down, “You’re a lot bigger than the last time I saw you.”

He didn’t really know what to say. Obviously, this was a dream, but it seemed so real. The girl standing in front of him looked just like El from the stories he heard after he came back from the upside down, and the place was exactly like she described it to him.

“Are you El?” It was a silly question, but she seemed to take it in stride. He wasn’t sure if he should worry about offending a figment of his imagination.

“I’m who you think I am, at least a part of her. The part that connects the two of you.”

“But you look…”

She answered before he could go on, “This is what we looked like when she shared part of herself with you. That’s why you see me like this. It’s not very flattering.” She giggled.

“This is just a dream, right?”

“If you want to call it that. We’re in your head so it can be whatever you want it to be. It’s not really a dream, though.”

“How can you speak so well? When the others first met you, they said you barely knew any words.”

“Well, we aren’t really speaking? Its more like we are thinking at each other, so the words just come out this way. You will learn quickly that what happens here is just a shadow of the real world.”

He seemed to be getting somewhere. At least she was answering his questions, so he continued asking them.

“Why are we here? Why are you talking to me?”

“You called for me and you’re asking me questions. I’m answering them.” She smiled a spoke true and confident. “Maybe you should ask something more important. I can’t lie to you. I’m here to help.”

He was amused by her direct nature. He thought for a second to see if he could come up with questions that were better.

“Why am I here?”

She looked a little disappointed, “You are here because we are in _your_ head, your thoughts. This place is your creation, but I don’t think that’s really what you want to know.”

He started to get frustrated, then the most obvious and relevant question popped in his thoughts.

“Why am I here _now_? How am I able to see you _now_? What changed?” He took great satisfaction that she smiled at him again before speaking. He knew he must be going down the right path.

“You can see me now because _you_ changed. You have opened a door to a part of your mind that you didn’t know was there. Something happened in the real world that pushed that door open and I am here to help you.”

He thought for a few moments about what could have changed to cause this. What happened in the real...?

_Mike! Oh my god! How could I have forgotten that?_

The memories of what happened flooded in like a tidal wave. The rush of imagery was almost overwhelming, but the last image is what mattered most, at least to him now. Mike, laying on the ground, looking healthy and breathing...alive. Will remembered everything, thinking his friend was dying, grieving, then pushing a part of himself toward Mike and feeling his excruciating pain. Most importantly he remembered erasing that pain. Somehow, he had repaired the injuries and made him whole again. It had felt so natural while it was happening, but now it seemed so foreign. He didn’t know where it came from or how the hell he could even do it. El always told him that there was something inside of him waiting to be let out. He thought that maybe it was just his ability to be able to feel her and nothing more special or specific to him. But this…this was not at all what he expected it to be. It was too hard to imagine right now, the magnitude of being able to do such things was just too much for him to process.

He looked up at her and he was sure she could see the shock on his face. She answered the question before he could even put it in words.

“Yes, _that_ is what opened the door.”

His emotions were driving him now, he wasn’t concerned about being here anymore. His thoughts had turned back to Mike. It was hard to think about anything else; he only wanted to see him, touch him and talk to him. He wanted to make sure he was actually ok.

“What do I do now?” He asked her the question but didn’t get the answer he expected.

“You wake up. Go open more doors.”

He was surprised again at the simplicity of the answer. If only all human talk could be so simple and pragmatic then life would be so much easier, but that also might make it boring.

“That’s it? I just wake up?”

“That’s it. I will be here if you ever need me again. It’s time to go. They are waiting on you.”

“They?”

“All of your friends…me…especially _him_.”

“Him? What do you mean?”

“It’s time to wake up Will.”

She reached out toward him and before he could move, tapped him lightly on the forehead. She disappeared like smoke dissolves when you wave a hand through it. The darkness around him started to slowly get brighter and he opened his eyes to the real world.

It took him some time to come to his senses in the real world. His eyes were sticky, and he had to blink a few times to get them clear enough to open all the way. The sun was beaming into the room through a familiar window. He knew right away that he was in Mike’s room. He had woken up this same way so many times before that it was almost like waking up in his own room. He pulled in a deep breath, enjoying the familiar smell of the air. Air that he could smell and feel. The bed was soft and warm, and he wondered briefly how he got here but was so comfortable that it really didn’t matter right now.

That was when he realized that someone was pressed right up against his back with their arms wrapped around him. It felt secure and familiar and had happened so many times before that it didn’t surprise him that she was there with him now. El had always been there to comfort him as he slept, especially when she was worried about him.

He reached up to touch her arm to see if she was awake. The arm he touched didn’t feel like hers at all. Where she was soft and smooth, this arm was thin, only muscle over bone and a light dusting of fine hair. That’s when he started noticing other differences. The body pressed up against his was flat and hard where El was smooth and curvy. His heels were resting against this person’s shins, which meant they had to be taller than him.

Of course, he knew who it had to be, there was no point in looking back. His heart sped up and his breathing came faster. He moved his hand away not wanting to wake Mike up and ruin the moment.

It was too late.

“Will? Are you awake?” Mike’s baritone resonated in his chest, vibrating against his back.

The voice rang like music in his ears, one of his last conscious thoughts was that he might never hear him speak again. To hear it now brought the reality of what happened back, and he swallowed hard, almost choking on his answer, “Yeah.”

He rolled over to face Mike, not wanting to break the contact but he needed to see him moving and talking. His eyes blurred with tears as soon as he saw the worried face. He didn’t trust himself to speak so he reached out and cupped Mike’s cheek with his hand. It was warm, perfect and so beautiful. The moment reminded him of when he woke after being released from the Shadow Monster and seeing his mother’s angelic face hovering above him.  

He didn’t even think before he did it. It was the first time he had ever touched Mike in such an intimate way. Before he could think about too much or start to regret it, Mike did the same. His warm hand resting on Will’s face and neck, his thumb lightly stroking Will’s cheek. They stared at each other, not speaking, both caught up in the moment. Will knew what happened would change them both, change their relationship. It seemed like a good change so far.

Will finally managed to squeak out some words, “You’re ok?” He sniffled as the tears slowed.

Mike nodded, Will’s hand moving with him. “I am.” It came out in a whisper.

Will nodded along with him, forcing in a deep stuttering breath and letting it go. Mike reached out with his free arm and pulled him close again. Will pressed his forehead to his chest, wrapped an arm around his waist and breathed all of him in, getting lost in his scent. They hugged like that for a short time, just being with each other in the peaceful quiet they knew would end soon.

The emotion of the moment eventually faded away and his body started telling him he had to get up soon. He had no clue how long he slept but every part of him started fussing at once. His mouth was dry and tacky, he felt dirty and gross all over, but another basic need was more urgent than all of that…

“Mike?” He spoke softly, not wanting to interrupt the moment, but he had to.

“Yeah…are you ok?” He let up his grip a little, allowing Will to move.

“Yeah, I’m ok and I’m really enjoying this but if I don’t go pee, we’re gonna need a raft.”

Mike chuckled and moved his arm so he could get up. He hurried to the bathroom, barely making it before he pissed himself. It felt so good after he started that his head fell back, and he let out a moan of pleasure. After what seemed like forever, he finally finished. Since he was already in the bathroom, he decided to go ahead and get cleaned up. He turned the tub handles on and began brushing his teeth while the water was warming.

Will took a long satisfying shower, working hard to scrub all the grime away. About halfway through, the comforting feeling of El’s presence returned to him, she must have just woken up. He sent back positive thoughts and felt her joy and elation. He knew she would be waiting on him when he got out and was a little disappointed that the time with Mike was over. He knew that moments like that might be hard to come by in the future and regretted not being able to stay with him longer.

After he was finished with all his morning rituals, he walked back over to Mike’s room where El and Max were sitting on the bed, waiting. They both came over and hugged him at the same time, neither of them spoke but he could tell they were overjoyed to see him. The feeling was mutual, but during the hug he remembered that he was only wearing a towel wrapped around his waist since he hadn't taken any clothes with him in his haste to get to the bathroom.  

“Umm, I love you guys, but I really need to put some underwear on.” El blushed and Max grinned when they saw him grasping the towel tightly and realized they should have at least let him dress.

“Sorry Will, I just needed to see you. I was so worried.” El’s voice rang sweet, so different than the girl in the vision he had earlier. He needed to talk with her but that would wait for another time.

Max spoke next, “So put your undies on, not like we haven’t seen it all before. Who do you think changed your clothes and gave you a sponge bath last night?” She moved her thumb back and forth between her and El while wearing the big smile.

Will’s face bloomed red like a spring rose and a look of sheer terror locked on his face. He hadn’t even thought about how he had gotten cleaned up until now.

Max let him down easy when she saw his fierce reaction to her joke. “Just kidding buddy, we only watched while Jonathan did it.”

His expression only worsened but realized she was joking about that as well when he saw El shaking her head, letting him know it wasn’t true. He felt instantly relieved and then feigned annoyance with Max, the color fading from his cheeks.  

“Get out!” They were both still laughing when he shut the door behind them.

As he was getting dressed the smell of bacon came wafting up from downstairs causing his gut to start churning like a concrete mixer. He had been stalling, not really wanting to face everyone else at the same time but the thought of food was too strong, especially when it smelled that good. As soon as he was finished getting ready, he started to head downstairs. He stopped at the door before opening it and took a deep breath, telling himself to just act normal and that it was going to be ok.

* * *

 

Mike

After Will left for the bathroom, Mike stayed in bed for a few minutes longer. Without him there, he felt alone and empty but was ecstatic about how things went when they woke up. It was the most intimate moment he had ever had with him, or anyone else for that matter. It wasn’t sexual intimacy, but the soft cuddle was something he always envisioned having with the person he loved. Touching him like that had been exquisite and only confirmed that his love for Will was more real than anything he had ever felt for anyone before. He thought he was in love with El but only now was beginning to understand the difference in a crush or puppy love and true love.

He touched the warm spot on his chest where Will’s forehead had been pressed earlier. He remembered the tickle of Will’s warm breath against the sparse hair on his chest, causing him to smile. He thought before that Will might have feelings for him too and was more confident in that now. This morning had been evidence of that. Will opened the door with his affection and Mike gladly stepped through to show it back to him. His heart sped up a little thinking that they might be in love with each other, it would be so perfect.

Remembering made him miss Will’s touch. Even though they were only across the hall from each other, it was too far away. He knew it was impossible because all their friends were here, but he would’ve have spent the whole day lying in bed and holding him if he could. They had plans for the holiday like hanging out, going to the mall and fireworks later, so it would be difficult to get any alone time with him today. Eventually, everyone, including Will, would be going home and returning to their normal summer lives and jobs.

_Fuck, what am I going to do when he goes home?_

The thought of being so far apart from him hurt. The good thing was that they worked together so at least he would be near him then, even though they wouldn’t be right next to each other all day.

He shook his head trying to lose the train of thought that he was on. Before he could start planning on being with him all the time, he had to figure out his next step. Acting on his feelings with Will had been easy, almost instinctual, but talking to him about it was a different story all together.  

He reluctantly got out of bed and decided he should probably get ready. As he was putting on shorts and a t-shirt someone tapped lightly on his door.

El’s voice came through, “Mike, are you up yet?”

“Yeah, one second.” As soon as he finished dressing, he opened the door to let her in. She was followed by the smells of breakfast cooking downstairs, which made his stomach start growling.

“I’m guessing he’s in the shower?” She spoke after looking around the room.

“Probably. He went to use the bathroom but he's been gone a while. She sat down on the bed beside him while he finished putting on socks and tennis shoes. 

“When did he wake up?"

“About forty-five minutes ago. We talked for a few minutes then he went to the bathroom.”

“Did he seem ok?”

“Yeah, he seemed normal. We didn’t talk a lot. I just wanted to be sure he was ok, and he seemed to be happy knowing I wasn’t hurt.” Mike had no intention of sharing with her exactly what happened, that moment was for him and Will and no one else.

She smiled and seemed to study him for a moment before speaking, “I’m just glad he’s awake.”

He got up and walked over to the door. “If you want to wait here for Will then I’m going to get some food and make sure everyone remembers not to overwhelm him.”

“Ok, that sounds perfect. We’ll be down in a minute.”

The kitchen was a hub of activity as all the others were already up and eating. After saying good mornings to everyone, he made a plate of bacon, toast and eggs. Jonathan was always so awesome to have around in the morning. Cooking breakfast had become his “thing” and since most of Mike’s breakfasts consisted of cold cereal or Pop-tarts it was much appreciated.

He sat down across from Dustin and Lucas, who stopped chatting and were both looking at him anxiously. He knew exactly what they wanted so neither of them had to ask the question.

“He’s awake and ok. Just taking a shower. El is waiting on him.”

They both nodded in relief then went back to some other breakfast small talk, something about the new Legend of Zelda game coming out soon.

Everyone seemed to be acting normal, so he didn’t even bother talking to them about Will or how he should be treated when he came down. He soon fell into the nerdy small talk as well. Dustin always knew which games and comics were coming out and when they would be available. They had moved on from role playing games but were all still addicted to comics and video games, especially now that home systems were almost as good as the games in the arcades.

A few minutes later Max and El, followed closely by Will, came down the stairs. Mike was more than a little annoyed when everyone stopped talking at once causing Will to tighten up immediately. Most of them realized their mistake and almost as quickly resumed their conversations, though they were more muted and uneasy than before. It was an awkward moment and he felt terrible because he could tell by the look on Will’s face that he noticed it as well.

Will’s body language was always guarded when he was in most public places, especially at school. Mike was sad to see that same closed posture and hung head in front of the people who knew Will the best and in this house of all places, which was basically a second home to him. Will went over to the stove to get some food and seemed to loosen up a little when Jonathan put a loving arm around his shoulders and greeted him with a few quiet words.

All of them seemed to remember that they were supposed to be acting normal and fell back into their morning conversation. Will took the seat beside Mike with El on his other side and Max squeezed in between Dustin and Lucas. With only a short break in their talk to say good morning to Will, the boys returned to the conversation and Mike noticed Will relaxing more and more, even laughing or reacting to some of the talk. The awkwardness was mostly over and shouldn’t be an issue again, or so they thought.

A lull in the table talk caused a few quiet moments and didn’t seem to affect anyone except Dustin. He started watching Will and El eat, giving them both a sweet smile if they made eye contact with him. He finished his last bite of food and pushed his plate back and looked straight at Will then turned to El.

“So…El…When does Will’s Jedi training start?”

Mike choked on his food and coughed, and a little piece of scrambled egg shot out of his nose. Max clubbed Dustin on the shoulder and Lucas went wide eyed and covered his mouth with a napkin trying not to imitate Mike. Will looked at Dustin like he had turned into some hairy green monster and El covered her mouth, trying to stifle a giggle, finding the obvious humor in the question and everyone else’s reactions.

“Dustin, what the hell man?” Lucas was the first to find his voice.

Dustin held his hands up, looking exasperated, wondering why they were attacking him for what he thought was an innocent question, “What! It’s a valid question and I know I’m not the only one who is thinking it. How can we all not be excited about Will having super powers. You gotta admit it pretty damn awesome. I mean you can't even make shit like this up.

Leave it to Dustin to kick the ant hill while everyone else was trying to dance around it. To Mike’s surprise it ended up being the exact thing the group needed to hear. Instead of dodging the obvious uncomfortableness, Dustin brought it straight to the forefront and shoved all the weirdness out of the way.

Everyone looked at Will, unsure of how he would react. He was looking at El, who was still smiling, and it must have been contagious, because he started smiling too. Their smiles turned to chuckles and before long his shoulders were bouncing in a bout of full on laughter which caused them all to smile and eventually join the step-siblings. All six of the friends were soon cracking up, though none really knew why. It felt good to laugh. After some time and several strange looks from the four adults in the kitchen, they finally calmed back down to normal. Mike didn’t know if had ever needed a laugh more in his entire life and immediately felt better because of it. All the tension between them was completely dissolved.

Mike looked over at Will after things settled back down. He was still red faced and his eyes were damp from laughing so hard. He was looking down, absentmindedly pushing a bit of toast around his plate with his fork, seemingly deep in thought. Then Will raised his head and met his eyes. Mike wasn’t sure how long they looked at each other but Will’s already red face seemed to go a shade darker under Mike’s gaze. Seeing him blush deeper warmed Mike to the core and made his heart flutter. He thought back to how nice it had been holding him that morning and wondered for a second if Will had any clue of the feelings he inspired. Mike smiled and broke the eye contact then looked down at his own empty plate, feeling his own cheeks warm.

_Yep, there’s no doubt anymore. I’m so screwed._

The group’s conversation eventually resumed but this time turned to planning the rest of the day. Mike was quieter than normal as he could only think about Will. He knew that he needed to take another step, to find out for sure if Will wanted the same thing he did. He was at a loss of exactly how to do that until he looked over to where his sister and Jonathan were leaning on the kitchen counter, deep in their own conversation. A thought entered his head as he focused on Jonathan. Who better to help him than the person who may know Will better than anyone else, the person who Will looked up to like no other? It might mean letting Jonathan know his feelings for Will, which caused a touch of anxiety. Mike was comforted by knowing how open-minded Jonathan was though. He was one of the kindest and most understanding people that Mike had ever known. He was hard to get to know on that level but once you broke through his tough exterior, there was only passion and love. Mike decided he needed to talk to Jonathan sometime today. They would all be at the mall and fireworks so he would only need to find the right moment. Now he only needed to figure what to say and how much to tell him.

 

* * *

 

Will

As the laughter around the table died down, Will finally began to feel like things could be normal again. Well, normal would never be the same as it had been before yesterday. Events like that always changed the conditions of normal and shifted everything in a different direction. Normal had changed several times in his life and whether it was after events like the Upside Down or the possession, everything eventually returned to some semblance of what it had been before but never quite the same. He figured he had to adapt again, and this would just be the latest “new normal” that he would need to get accustomed to.

Mike had been involved in him learning his new normal before. After the Upside Down, he became more protective and always seemed to be the one who could make Will feel somewhat like he did before the abduction. After the possession, Mike wasn’t quite as involved because he had his own issues to deal with now that El was back in the picture. She was the one that played a huge part in Will’s recovery after that. She was a new element in all their lives and probably caused the biggest shift in what he thought normal could be. Someone like her wasn’t a pebble that caused a small ripple of change in people’s lives, she was a boulder that caused monstrous waves. She was simply too strong of a person to not change everything around her. Her and Max both brought many new elements to their friend group and they had all been able to handle and adapt to that huge change, so he knew that they could handle this one too.

The new normal this time completely centered on Mike and he could definitely learn to like that. Waking up this morning wrapped in his arms and then cuddling with him had been perfect. He hoped it would happen again and that he didn’t ruin his one chance just because he had to use the bathroom. Even if Mike hadn’t gotten hurt yesterday, things with him were already changing. Will felt the change every time they talked, every time their eyes met, every time they touched. If things like this morning kept happening, then it would only be a matter of time before the two of them would have to take the next step in their relationship. It seemed like Mike had feelings for him but what he didn’t know was if they were the same or if he might want something different. It was frustrating to be in that grey area of not knowing, but it was also nice to be exploring new ground with him.

As his thoughts started to stray and take his mind out of the present, he felt that odd sense that someone was looking at him. It could have been anyone but somehow, he knew it was Mike. Knew that when he looked up that he would meet brown eyes and would freeze when he looked into them. It was happening more and more often and honestly; he didn’t mind it at all.

It seemed like his chin almost raised involuntarily, like a part of him had to look. Then, there they were, the shiny brown eyes that turned him into a deer in headlights. It seemed like forever and an instant all at once. He noticed Mike’s eyes soften and desperately wanted to know the thoughts that were coursing through the brain behind them. Everything inside him was screaming the same thing. His mind, body and soul crying out in unison for him to do something that was totally impossible considering there were sixteen other eyes in that room and all of them would be looking if he acted on that desire.

_Kiss him! Kiss Him! Kiss him!_

It was as if the Roman mob was yelling out from inside him. He denied the temptation and felt like a man dying of thirst in a desert that could only look at a bottle of water. Denying himself that one thing was torture from balls to bone. He knew that he was already red faced from laughing and only hoped that it concealed the blaze of heat in his cheeks now. They kept the contact for a few moments when Will was surprised that Mike dropped his gaze first and then excited again when he saw the faintest bit of pink shade his cheeks, too. He wondered what would have happened if he had just done it. Would the repercussions have been as bad as his thoughts told him it would be? It was too risky in front of everybody but if this happened when they were alone again, then he wouldn’t be able to hold back. The instinct was too strong.

He looked back down to his own plate and began to regain his composure. Denying his desire at that moment had been one of the hardest things he had ever done. He took a chance and looked back up, but Mike was looking away from him into the kitchen. It was disappointing and a relief at the same time. Dustin was prattling on about some kind of special events happening in the mall parking lot today with Lucas and El being the only ones really listening to him.

That was when he realized that another set of eyes were on him, this time they were icy blue. He wondered how long Max had been watching and what all she had seen. Would outside eyes have been able to pick up on what was happening inside him? Her head tilted and eyes narrowed, and he could almost hear the question her body language was asking.

_What the holy hell was that, Mr. Byers?_

He just shook his head at her and mouthed the word “later”, hoping no one else would notice. She already knew everything, and it might help relieve the burning inside him if he could talk it over with someone that he knew would hold no judgment. El might seem like the obvious choice, but Max seemed to know Mike better than anyone else, even though she had known him the least amount of time. Max and Mike were extremely close now, though it didn’t start out that way. He might even say that she was his best friend now because Will felt like his and Mike’s relationship was beyond friendship. She always had good practical advice and he knew he could trust her not to tell anyone…well, anyone but El apparently, but he had nothing to hide from her either.

“So, that sounds like a plan then, everybody good with that?” Dustin’s question pulled him back into the actual conversation. Whatever “the plan” was seemed to be good with everyone else in the group so Will nodded like an automaton, not 100% sure what he just agreed to be a part of. Everyone seemed to stand up at once and start milling around. Nancy and Jason were washing dishes and Mike started cleaning up everything else. Will figured it couldn’t hurt to help so he jumped in to help.

Before he knew it, everything was cleaned up and the six of them got ready and loaded up in Mike’s car. He had picked up the plan in little snippets of conversation over the last few minutes. It was simple: hang out at the mall, eat, play, watch fireworks then go home. He knew they had to be at work at 7:00 in the morning so it couldn’t be a late night. The thought of returning to The Post was one of the weirdest things to him. Their long weekend had started there but so much had happened since they left Friday afternoon. It would be odd but might also be good. It would help him feel normal again, give him something to ease his obsession with Mike for a few hours.

It was another sunny and hot day, much as you would expect the fourth of July would be. The ride was pleasant, and it felt nice just to fall back into something normal. Lucas, Max and El usually rode in the back seat and Dustin didn’t want to be relegated to the back compartment of the car by himself. To make him happy Mike cleaned out his aftermarket center console he kept in the middle of the front seat and stashed it in the back of the car which allowed the front seat to hold three people. Will knew that he had been thinking about making the change anyway as it made sense for riding with six people. Will made sure to grab a few music cassettes first and threw them in the glove box before sliding into the middle spot with Dustin now riding shotgun. Once again, it wasn’t even a question and nobody fought over seating, it was just assumed that it would be his spot, and he gladly accepted it. It gave him full control of the radio and there was so much room in the car that it wasn’t even uncomfortable. Plus, he had the bonus of being up against Mike, their legs and arms occasionally brushing together without anyone else being wise to it.

Jonathan followed closely behind with the older members of the group riding with him. When they got to the parking lot, they went ahead and selected a couple of parking spots out away from the building so they would be able to see the fireworks better that evening. Basically, every resident of Hawkins and the surrounding areas would be there as it was the only big show in the whole county. The lot was always full by 6 o’clock and then lawn chairs and blankets would litter any other available space.

The afternoon went as one might expect for a group of teenagers and young adults at the mall. Junk food was eaten, video games were played, and favorite stores were shopped. Without trying to, Will and Mike stayed by each other’s side for most of the day. Every time they separated by the smallest distance; the boys found themselves back side by side before long. There was a new dynamic between the pair. It wasn’t as if one of them was simply following the other, it was more like an outside force drew them toward each other. If one of them were confronted and forced to talk about it, they might call it attraction, not attraction to the others features or personality but a physical force that they couldn’t see or deny. It was something they simply felt, a subconscious tug. It was harmless and doubtful that anyone would even notice unless they were watching closely. No one took special notice of them that day, everyone seemed to simply understand and sympathize with them after what the pair went through the day before.

* * *

 

It was almost the same when they were young boys and it was only the two of them, as Lucas and Dustin hadn’t come along yet. From the time they met in kindergarten it was always _Willandmike_ or _Mikeandwill,_ the two names strung together by their parents and siblings so often that it seemed they became one word. Back then it had been a simple friendship, the boys loved each other but as best friends or brothers. They always sat by each other in school, ate lunch together and played with each other during recess each day. The only exception was their third-grade year when they were placed in different classes. Both boys howled and cried for hours when they found out they would only be together at lunch and recess. The biggest benefit of being apart that year was them bringing Lucas into their friend circle. He was in Will’s class and moved in next door to Mike not long after that year started, so both boys struck up solid friendships with him. Joyce and Karen spent a lot of time on the road that year and many afternoons at each other’s houses to allow the trio extra time together. 

* * *

 

Not long after arriving at the mall, El and Nancy split off and headed to the department stores. Mike made sure to stay far away from El once they entered the mall, not wanting to provide another fashion show. Steve and Jason went off by themselves and Jonathan disappeared, which was normal, as he always liked doing his own thing. He would gravitate to one group or another from time to time only to float away to whatever else caught his attention next. That left the four boys and Max together. 

That group spent a lot of their day in the arcade, blowing a good portion of their meager paychecks on games they had been playing for years. There were no issues with Will this time and the manager didn’t seem to even remember them from the outburst that last Friday. He was able to enjoy playing games and competing with his friends. Him and Max even had a spectacular run on two player Double Dragon while their friends all watched, as well as some other arcade regulars. They proudly typed in their names in the second spot on the high score list after they finally lost all their lives.

While the pair was finishing their extra-long game the other three decided that they had all had enough gaming, so they told Will and Max that they were going to the bookstore next door and to meet them there when they were finished. After leaving the dark cave that was the arcade with Max by his side, it took a moment for Will’s eyes to adjust, then he spotted Lucas and Dustin sitting in the bookstore reading area. He immediately started looking for Mike, glancing from one side of the store to the other.

“Hey, I’m sure he’s somewhere close, he was just with them a minute ago.” He forgot Max was right next to him for a second.

“Huh?”

“You’re looking for Mike, right? I’m sure he’s close.”

He tried to hide his embarrassment, not realizing he was being so obvious, “Oh…um…yeah. I just didn’t…um…”

“Will, it’s ok. I could just tell you were looking for him. No big deal.” He could tell she was trying to calm him down, not wanting him to be nervous. When they got to over to where Dustin and Lucas were, she asked about Mike.

“Jonathan came by and said he was going to RadioShack, so Mike went with him. Said he would meet us at the food court.” Dustin explained.

“Oh ok.” She looked around for a minute, then grabbed Will’s hand, “Come with me to _Vibes,_ you can help me find a shirt. We’ll see you guys at dinner.” She pulled him quickly away from the other two.

He looked back at Dustin and Lucas who were both wearing faces that screamed “ _Better you than us”._ Neither of them was much for shopping, unless it was the bookstore or something else that interested them, definitely not clothing.

Once they got far enough away, she dropped his hand and stopped pulling him along. Their pace slowed to a much more casual stroll. He was completely confused when they walked past _Vibes,_ the clothing boutique she told them she wanted to go to _._

She must’ve noticed his confusion. “Oh yeah, that was a lie. I just wanted to kick it with you for a little bit. I don’t wear any of that preppy crap.”

He chuckled at her bluntness in getting away from the others, though it did make him a little nervous knowing they were about to talk about “things”.

She jumped right in with the first question, “How are you doing after yesterday? I know we aren’t supposed to talk about it, but since when have I followed the rules. Besides, you need to talk about it...am I right?”

He shrugged and looked at her, not sure that it was what he wanted to talk to her about. He knew he needed to eventually but what he really cared about at this moment was Mike. It wasn’t that him saving Mike wasn’t one of the most amazing things he had ever done or even seen for that matter, but it just wasn’t what was on his mind right now.

“Maybe…not sure if I’m ready to talk about that just yet. What do you mean against the rules?”

“Oh, you know, just Mike being protective, not wanting us to harass you about it. Which we wouldn’t have done, by the way. Except Dustin I guess, he never listens either. His question was innocent, his timing was just a little off.” She laughed remembering the event at the breakfast table. “But, judging by your reaction, it was just what you needed to hear.”

He laughed again, “I was just as shocked as everyone else. The goofy ass grin on El’s face made me crack up, that and the egg shooting out of Mike’s nose.”

They both had another good laugh, catching a few sideways glances from a few others walking by. After they both regained their composure and were strolling slowly, Max took the conversation in a different direction.

“So, speaking of Mike at breakfast, that look between you two was intense. What was that all about?” Once again, she didn’t mince words. He knew the question was coming and was still surprised by how quick she brought it up.

His head bowed and his hand instinctually went to rub his forehead trying to conceal the blush trying to creep up again.  She moved over right beside him and grabbed his hand again. “Hey, its ok. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have blurted it out like that.”

They walked in silence for a minute until he got comfortable enough to speak. “No, I shouldn’t get so embarrassed, but this is all so…weird. It’s like I can’t even control myself anymore. I spend half my time staring at him and the other half blushing or stuttering when I try to talk to him. I’m just a…mess. I mean, he’s my best friend and I know everything about him but...” He opened and closed his mouth a few times not really knowing what to say next. She only responded with a squeeze of his hand and a smile. It was almost like she knew he needed to get it all off his chest, get rid of all the words that had been festering inside.

She guided him to a bench beside one of the many water fountains in the atrium of the mall. After they sat down, he wasn’t sure where to take the conversation. He sat there in quiet thought for a short time, mindlessly tracing his finger across an etching of initials that had been sloppily carved into the bench. While he was wondering who LF+HR might be and if they were still together or in love, he wished it was all as simple as scribing your name into the wood of a mall bench. Seconds ago, he wanted to talk to Max about it, but his nerves and overly cautious nature were starting to take over now. If he kept going, then he might say too much or go too far. He didn’t want to burden her with his problems and issues. He began to let his insecurity get in the way again.

He rubbed over the rough edge of the carved initials again and wondered if there would ever be a WB+MW scribed somewhere with another person seeing it and contemplating their future. Whoever this person was had been brave enough to create a permanent inscription of their love. Will took inspiration from it, deciding that he had to move forward. He had an opportunity now to get her take on it and knew she would know exactly what to say. She always did. He decided to put the doubt and worry behind him. He owed that to whoever cut those initials into the bench in a declaration of their love.

One question had been burning inside him for a long time and he decided that was where he would start. He spoke quietly so she would be the only one who could hear it, “Max, do you think this is even possible? Do you think Mike could ever feel the same about me?” He was still looking down at the carving, not wanting to see the reaction on her face.

“Of course, he could.” She was still holding his hand; he would probably be wringing his hands together had she not been. “Here, try this. I want you to close your eyes and think about him. Think about all the time you’ve spent with him over the last few days, the things you’ve done together, the conversations you’ve had, whatever comes to your mind. Then I want you to tell me what you think the answer to that question is.”

Will considered what she said, then closed his eyes and decided to give it a try. Memories from the last few days began to roll through his mind. Staring at him on the car ride into work last Friday, then meeting his eyes and feeling the flush of excitement when he got caught. The awkward touches they shared at the office while he was still trying to recover from his visions. Getting dressed up for El and the feel of Mike’s bare skin under his hand when they posed for the picture. Mike comforting him after the episode in the arcade, that warm embrace calming his fears and bringing strength to his fragile state. Walking around the mall with him Saturday morning while eating ice cream, talking and laughing about things they hadn’t spoken of in years. Dancing with him by the pool, getting tangled up in the hose and falling on top of him, then laughing uncontrollably with him after. Not being able to pay attention to the movie they watched because all he could think about was touching Mike, their legs or shoulders bumping together and lingering as if neither of them wanted to stop. Waking up Sunday morning to his beautiful, serene face and studying his features, not finding a single fault. The way Mike cradled the drawing of him by the train tracks, the emotion and pride evident in his eyes that Will had drawn him like that. Wrestling each other, then sharing yet another intimate touch. The hunger in Mike’s eyes when Will thought they were about to kiss.

He began to realize that maybe it wasn’t one sided, the way Mike looked at him was different, too. He started to believe in himself, thinking it may really be happening the way he dreamed.

The next memories sparked emotion so strong that Will forgot where he was. Seeing Mike hurt again, laying there...dying. Will remembered how he felt; the burning deep down inside returned. Despair, pain and love all rolled up into one monster emotion, then feeling that strange other worldly energy flowing out of him and taking Mike’s pain as his own. Feeling Mike’s body become whole again and seeing him perfectly healthy before passing out. Finally, he thought of waking up in Mike’s arms this morning, the entire length of their bodies joined together in a warm embrace. Holding each other until Will physically couldn’t stay any longer. Mike’s long arms wrapped around him with Will’s head nuzzled under his chin, breathing in his earthy, manly smell that was so intoxicating. The way Mike gently stroked his cheek with his thumb and seeing that loving hunger in his eyes yet again. The moment at the table this morning when he had to fight off every instinct he had, instincts that were screaming for him to kiss him or at least grab hold of him right then and there. Seeing the same look returned in those brown eyes was quickly becoming a theme. How had he not put all those looks together before now? He began to truly _believe_ that Mike loved him the same way.

While coming down from the high of emotional memories, the real world began to take shape around him again. He could feel Max’s hand still holding his tightly, feel the cooling tracks of shed tears on his cheeks. He opened his eyes to see her staring at him with a stunned look, not something he was accustomed to with Max. She blinked forcefully a few times then gave her head a quick shake as if trying to come out of a daze.

“Holy shit, Will!” She whispered it loud enough for him to hear but hopefully not gathering any attention from anyone else.

“What? What’s wrong? Are you ok?” Her reaction scared him and brought him back fully into the moment. Now he was afraid he had done something crazy during his daydream.

She must have seen the panic in his eyes, “Yeah, I’m ok. Nothing is wrong. What you just did was incredible. It surprised me is all.”

He looked around to see if anyone was looking at them or acting strange. It seemed like everyone was doing their own thing and no one was paying attention to them.

He looked back at her, “What did I do?”

She seemed to sense his worry and slid closer to him, still holding his hand. “No, everything is good, you didn’t do anything bad. But, for a second, I think I started to feel some of what you were feeling. It got super intense and your hands got really hot.”

He nodded slowly, still trying to understand this new part of him, “I’m sorry.

“Please don’t apologize. It was beautiful. I’ve just never felt anything like that before.” She was beaming a huge smile at him.

Will looked down, after a few seconds he looked back up at her and returned her smile. He was glad she wasn’t completely weirded out about his feelings for Mike or the things that were happening when his emotions went out of control.

She spoke up again, “So, did it work? Do you feel any better about it?”

He took another deep breath and nodded, “Yeah, I think I’ve been a little blind to the truth. I need to be less scared and not so oblivious.”

Her smile turned into a laugh, almost like he had told her a joke. “You boys are so good at that.” She paused and looked at him seriously again. “I wasn’t going to say it but now that you’ve realized it on your own....”

She took his other hand, squared her shoulders and looked him in the eye. He had no doubt in the truth of whatever she was about to say, Max was easy to read, and he knew this was her at her most serious. “Yes, I do think Mike feels the same way you do, and I also think you two are perfect for each other. I believe you both know it but are scared, and I completely understand why. It might not always be an easy road because some people are ignorant and stupid, but I believe true love is the most important thing in the world. I totally support you and I will fight anyone who ever gives you any shit. I love you Will.”

His throat tightened up and she became a fuzzy blur seconds after she started talking.  She was the first person to ever tell him out loud that it was ok to be in love with Mike Wheeler, the first person to give him unconditional support. Even though her and El had given him their unspoken approval at the lake yesterday after he ran off, hearing that it was ok and even a good thing was special, and he would always remember Max being the first. Not that there wouldn’t be many others in his corner eventually, it was just amazing to hear those words for the first time.

Before he became a complete drippy mess, he embraced her in a tight hug, closed his eyes and let the tears fall, hidden by her long hair. Will was beyond caring what other people might think and just held on to her until the tears stopped.

After he composed himself and they broke the embrace, she glanced down at the hot pink and yellow watch she always wore and frowned slightly.

“It’s almost 6:30, we should probably go meet up with everyone for dinner.” She stood up and ran her hands down her long hair, straightening it out from their hug, “Do you feel better?”

He nodded, “A lot better. You should be a psychiatrist.”  

She scoffed, “I wish people would pay money for my advice, that would be a dream.”

“I’m serious. You said exactly what I needed to hear, made me do exactly what I needed to do.” He glanced down at the initials in the bench one last time. He silently thanked whoever the mystery person was who carved it, wishing they could know it gave him the little dose of courage he needed.

“I’m really glad I could help.” She grabbed his hand and pulled him off the bench. They headed toward the food court where they were supposed to meet all their friends. There was a lightness in his steps now, smiling and laughter came easy again. The events of yesterday and concealing his feelings had hung on his shoulders like an overloaded weight bar. The moments after Dustin’s awkward question and talking to her had allowed him to cast it off, freeing him from the two things he was most worried about in life right now. Now he only had to focus on getting things straightened out and moving the right direction with…

* * *

 

Mike

Mike was getting a little bored, which was odd for him at the arcade. The games just didn’t seem to have the same draw to him today for some reason and he wasn’t sure why. He walked over to Will and Max again, who must’ve been playing the same game for over thirty minutes now. He watched over Will’s shoulder for a minute or two and then started looking for another game to play. When he decided on one, he reached into his shorts pocket and felt nothing but pocket lint and car keys. He checked his wallet and only a twenty and two fives were staring back. He had already spent more than ten dollars and didn’t want to change out another big bill.

Lucas and Dustin showed up after a little bit, appearing to also be done playing. They decided to go to the bookstore and told Will and Max to meet them there when they were finished.

It didn’t take long for Dustin and Lucas to make a few selections and go to the sitting area to read. He really couldn’t focus on anything and had a hard time finding anything interesting. He was distracted and the only thing he could really concentrate on was Will. He was also trying to figure out when he could talk to Jonathan. He thought he would have plenty of time, but the elder Byers had disappeared earlier that day and Mike had no clue where he might be.

As if on cue, he spotted the messy brown mop of Jonathan’s hair bobbing up and down as he walked by the bookstore. Mike shelved the book he was flipping through and hustled to try and catch him before he got too far.

“Jonathan!” Mike didn’t yell but raised his voice enough to catch his attention.

He spun around and smiled when he saw Mike, “Hey Mike.”

“Hey, where are you headed?”

“Just going to RadioShack before meeting everyone else.”

“Care if I walk with you.”

“Sure, come on.”

Mike asked to him to wait while he ran back and let Lucas and Dustin know he would meet them at the food court. He ran back out and him and Jonathan started walking. They engaged in some small talk while they walked about, nothing important. The longer they talked, the more Mike’s nervousness increased. This was just Jonathan, Will’s brother, his sister’s boyfriend and his friend on top of all that. There was no reason to stress out.  

They arrived at the store and kept chatting while looking through the gadgets and tech toys that RadioShack offered. Mike took interest in one of the new computers on display. They always had the most expensive ones set up to try out and it was amazing to see what all the newer models would do. He eventually grew bored with it and was absentmindedly pecking at the keys.

Mike realized he was just standing there staring at a blank screen when he heard Jonathan’s concerned voice, “Are you ok?”

Mike looked up at him, “Yeah, just a lot on my mind.” Before he could bail out, Mike took a deep breath and spoke. “Can ask you something?”

Jonathan looked at him and one of his eyebrows raised just slightly. Mike had seen the expression of curiosity on Will’s face hundreds of times, it was odd but comforting to see the exact same look on Jonathan’s face now. “Sure, what’s up?”

“I was wondering if you had an idea of something I could do with Will. After yesterday and all that happened, I wanted to take him somewhere special or do something for him…like something out of the ordinary. You know, to tell him thank you.” His nerves started getting the best of him as he spoke.

Jonathan looked over at him and narrowed his eyes just slightly. “You mean like a movie he hasn’t seen or something like that?”

“No, not a movie, we do that all the time. I was wanting to do something different with him, something he won’t forget.”

A flash of surprise crossed Jonathan’s face, gone as quickly as it came. “Just you and him?”

Mike nodded his head. There was no reason to try and hide anything anymore, especially from Jonathan. If he figured it out, then he figured it out. At this point Mike was done with pretense.

Jonathan thought for a second, “Well, there’s this concert me and Nancy are going to Friday night. Will really wanted to go but didn’t want to be a third wheel. I tried to get him to change his mind and just come with us, but he was being stubborn.”

Mike thought about the idea of a concert for a minute, then decided it might be exactly what he was looking for. It was something Will wanted to do but thought he couldn’t, so the surprise factor would be excellent. Mike had never been to a concert with him before and only heard about them secondhand from him or Max, who was his usual concert buddy. He knew it was something that Will loved doing.

He looked at Jonathan over the top of the computer screen, “That might be just the thing. Can you tell me more about it?”

“Sure. Its in Indianapolis at an old theater they use for concerts now. The band is The Replacements. They are really good live.”

Mike nodded; he didn’t really care who the band was if it made Will happy and Indianapolis was only a little over an hour away. His mind was made up, it was exactly what he was looking for. “What about tickets, where can I get those?”

“I got mine just a little while ago over at the _Soundwave_ , they still had a few left. Twelve bucks each.” Jonathan glanced down at his watch with a concerned look on his face, “They close in a few minutes, you had better hurry if you want to get them today.”

A sense of urgency hit Mike because it would be better to buy them today, that way he wouldn’t have to come all the way back out here during the week. When he made plans, he liked to get all the details taken care of as soon as he could. He had time to make it to the _Soundwave_ , the mall’s music store, if he ran part of the way, so he took his attention off the computer and got ready to leave.

He spoke to Jonathan quickly so he could get going, “Thanks Jon, I think it will be perfect. Don’t forget, it’s a surprise so don’t tell him. I’m gonna run get the tickets now. I’ll see you at the food court.”

He hurried out of the store and broke into a jog once he got out into the main part of the mall. The music store was all the way on the opposite end, but he should make it before they closed. He got there with two minutes to spare and, other than dealing with an eye roll and an annoyed look from the guy working the register of the empty store, was successful in purchasing the tickets. He had enough money left to get a cheap meal and put a few dollars in his beastly car’s gas tank.

He was glad Thursday was payday, that way he would have extra funds for Friday night. While he was going over his money situation and tucking the glossy tickets in his shorts pocket for safe keeping, the thought of what he was doing struck him like a rock to the forehead.

_Holy Shit! I am going to ask Will out on a date._

In his heart and mind, he had known all along what he was planning but had never actually named it that. His feelings were sure and after yesterday and this morning he was sure that Will felt the same way. Even though he was confident that Will would say yes, his heart beat faster thinking about it and his stomach flew into nervous jitters. This was it, the turning point. After this, things would be different, good or bad. He was ready to take the swing, he wanted more from his relationship with Will. He needed Will in the worst way.

Without remembering a single step after he left the _Soundwave;_ he rounded the corner that took him into the eating area. Everyone but him was already there and he exchanged greetings with several of his friends. Some already had food and were eating but Will and El were sitting with Dustin at a four top and none of them had food yet. He slid into the open seat beside Will and they all greeted him, he took special note of the big smile Will was wearing when he sat down. That familiar feeling of being able to breathe easier when they were together was getting stronger and more defined. He only felt complete when they were side by side.

“Where have you been? Jonathan got here ten minutes ago.” Dustin questioned him after he sat down.

“I had an errand to run that I forgot about. Have you guys eaten yet?” Mike told a half truth and changed the subject, not really wanting to be asked any more questions about where he had been.

“No not yet. Will made us wait on you.”

Will spoke up quickly, “Not true Dustin,” then looked back at Mike and rolled his eyes, “We were actually putting up with more questions about superpowers and the possibility of forming our own team of X-Men or Avengers and _Eleven_ is just being way too supportive of his ridiculous ideas.” He directed the last part of the snarky comment directly at his step sister.

This caused Dustin and El to break up into laughter, which was again contagious to Mike and Will. Mike was happy that Dustin was keeping the mood light about what all happened yesterday. This told him that his friend had moved past some of his initial guilt and now he was just trying to use his charm to help ease the tension.

Mike adored it when the feisty side of Will came out. When they were younger it was much more common but after dealing with the Upside Down and being possessed, he withdrew into himself more and the smart-ass little kid didn’t come out as often. When he was comfortable and surrounded by loved ones it would show its face and was usually very funny. Will was so full of personality and life that Mike often wondered what he would be like had he not had to endure all the terrible things over the last few years.  

“X-Men, Dustin, seriously?” Mike gave him a crazy look.

“It has its merits, Mike. Just imagine the possibilities. El and Will with their super mind powers teamed up with their exceptional human friends.” Dustin wagged his eyebrows Groucho Marx style after he made his presentation.

El chimed in right away, “Don’t forget the spandex, all of us will be dressed in Spandex!” Her and Dustin lost it again in a fit of laughter.

Will motioned at them with an upturned hand and a shake of his head. “You see what I’m having to put up with.” A smile still stuck on his face as he watched his friends compose themselves. Mike couldn’t help but laugh.

He stood up to go get his supper and the other three naturally followed his lead. They got their food and returned to the group where everyone was chatting in one conversation or another. All were in good spirits and having a good time with family and friends. Dinner conversation moved on to less comic book type subjects and more to louder group talk that everyone could share.

When the sun finally started easing below the tree line and the long, slow summer dusk started to set in, they all moved outdoors to where their cars were parked. Joyce and Hopper were waiting on them, having stayed in the quiet parking lot and ate KFC instead of enduring the bustle of the mall food court. Will went straight for his mom and gave her a monster hug. She seemed to love the attention and Mike only noticed her eyes falter in concern one time while they talked. It would be crazy to think that she wouldn’t see some difference in him eventually but for now she seemed to simply be happy having her whole family back together again.

Several lawn chairs were pulled from the cars and set up for viewing the fireworks later. A football and frisbee made an appearance and were soon being tossed around. Mike kept as far away from the football as he could because he was terrible at throwing it. He stuck with tossing the frisbee with Will and Dustin. The parking lot was starting to fill up with others doing similar things. It was a nice family evening with several other people they knew from school coming by to say a few words from time to time. Mike even noticed Will’s ex-girlfriend, Jenn, stop by with a few of her friends and talk to him for a few minutes.

As darkness crept over the parking lot and it became harder to see, they all started sitting down in the circle of chairs that had been set out earlier. Mike realized that they would be a few short, so he planned to just watch from the hood of his car. When he was first given the car, he would go out to the old junkyard and sit on his hood for hours and look up at the stars on nights when he wasn’t busy. Sometimes he had company but most of the time he went alone, it was where he went to quiet his mind and think. Sitting on the hood was a great comfort and familiar to him.

Will was squatting over by his mom and Hopper, engrossed in a conversation with them. El, Max and Lucas were all playing with sparklers and some small fire crackers that Hopper had brought them. The others were already sitting down waiting on the show. Dustin was the center of attention in that group, inspiring bouts of laughter from their college aged friends. Mike went ahead and climbed up on his hood right in front of the driver’s seat. He laid back against the window and relaxed for the first time since he had gotten out of bed that morning.

The car hood was pleasantly warm from sitting in the sun all day and sturdy enough to hold him without denting in. Tonight, it would be a perfect spot to watch the fireworks. He knew he had to be up at 5:30 in the morning so he laid his head back and closed his eyes to rest for at least a few minutes.

The crowd hooting and whistling when the overhead lights went out in preparation for the show woke him up out of a brief slumber. He wasn’t intending to fall asleep when he closed his eyes, so he got an unexpected thirty-minute nap. He was pleasantly surprised to see that Will and El had joined him on the hood and both were smiling at him when he looked over.

“Did you have a good nap?” Will was immediately to his right and was the first to speak.

Without pausing, El spoke next, “It must have been really good, you were snoring.”

He rolled his eyes and answered them in order, “Yes, it was a good nap and I don’t snore.”

The pair looked at each other and giggled, “He always says that, we really need to get a recording.” Will was obviously enjoying tag teaming with El.

Mike elbowed Will playfully in the ribs for the comment and pushed himself back up to recline on the windshield. He had slumped some while he slept and was almost laying flat on the oversized hood of the car when he woke up. He put his hands behind his head and Will and El both laid back against the front glass with Him. He couldn’t help but notice that Will was as close to his side as he could be without touching him, near enough to feel the heat coming from his body.

Before they could say anything else, the parking lot PA system sparked to life with patriotic music and the first streak of fire shot up into the night sky and exploded in red and yellow circles. Everyone was focused on the show as it progressed. The city government went all out, so it would be a long one.

Mike couldn’t help but steal glances at Will from time to time, he loved seeing the brightly colored flashes dance across his face and reflect in his eyes. He tried not to look too often so he wouldn’t get caught, but inevitably their eyes met a few times. It wasn’t long before the thoughts of asking him out this weekend crept into his head. He was mostly confident that Will would say yes but the slight edge of doubt slipped in when he remembered how happy Will had been to see Jenn when she walked up earlier. He slid his hand into the pocket where the tickets were and was comforted by the slick feel of the heavy paper. He knew it was going to be perfect and his slight bout of jealousy washed away quickly when he thought about how Will might react when he revealed the surprise. He imagined the huge smile and the possibility of getting one of the customary hugs Will gave when he was given a good present.

He was so lost in the thought that he didn’t realize he was staring at him again. This time Will was staring back. The smile on Mike’s face from the daydream faded away and he swallowed hard, keeping his eyes locked on Will’s. A little anxiety flared when Will smiled back and cocked his head slightly as if asking if everything was ok. Mike knew he had been caught and just gave a little nod to reassure him that nothing was wrong. Will just continued to look at him, his smile also changing into a more serious look.

His heart sped up when Will’s fist nudged the back of his hand buried in his pocket. Instinct kicked in and Mike pulled his hand out and seconds later he felt Will’s palm slide across his and their fingers intertwine slowly together. They were still looking at each other and he could see the seriousness on Will’s face and his chest rising and falling faster. No doubt Will’s heart was thrumming too.

He forced himself to turn his eyes back to the sky, but nothing was going to make him take his hand away from Will’s. If he kept looking, he wasn’t sure if he could have controlled his urges. This was the third time in as many days that he had felt the overwhelming desire to kiss him, one way or another it was happening soon, but it couldn’t be here in front of almost all their loved ones and more than half of the people in Hawkins. He took in a deep breath and tried to push the desire away and instead concentrated on the moment. This was the first time they had ever held hands. Normally it wasn’t anything more than an innocent gesture of caring and love. Mike often held hands with Max when Lucas wasn’t around, but it was only out of friendship and the way she displayed affection. He even held El’s hand sometimes, though not as often because it still felt a little odd, given their past. Holding his hand now was completely different. It was affectionate and loving but there were undertones of something completely new, something…more.

Mike took a chance and looked back over at him. Those soft eyes were still turned his way, Will’s face composed but serious. It almost looked like he was studying him but there was also just the slightest look of worry in his eyes. Mike couldn’t help but smile and give Will’s hand a squeeze of reassurance. He imagined the same thoughts and feelings that he had were also coursing through Will’s head right now. Will smiled back and both boys turned their eyes back to the sky.

The fireworks continued for several more minutes, with no one paying attention to anything except the colored explosions in the sky. Mike knew it would be over soon and the moment with Will would also come to an end. He also understood that such an act was the beginning of something huge for them.

The show came to an end with the usual grand and furious display of dozens of shells exploding simultaneously. After it was over, Mike was reluctant but let go of Will’s hand since everyone’s focus would soon no longer be on the sky and the lights would be coming back on to flood the lot with light. It also hurt because he knew it was an end to their long weekend together. Will would be going home with his family to get a good night’s sleep before returning to work early in the morning. It was going to suck going home without him. He relaxed his fingers and let go and Will did the same.

The emptiness hit him hard this time. He felt the loss when Will left him this morning but for some reason it almost physically hurt to let him go now. Maybe it was the finality of the weekend and the holiday or the fact that they would separate soon. He just knew it sucked…bad.

Chairs started getting folded up and placed back in the cars. They milled around for a few minutes talking and saying goodbyes. Will and El would be going back home with their parents. Mike opened his car so they could get their bags and things before they left as Hopper wasn’t one to linger long. He was walking beside Will on the way back to the chief’s Bronco and knew it was time to say goodbye, but he had some things he needed to say before they got within earshot of the others so he grabbed him by the arm and stopped him while no one was near.

“Hey…um…I had a really good time with you this weekend. I mean other than that one thing…you know…sorry.” An embarrassed smile was hidden by the darkness as he fumbled over the words.

He could just make out a similar look on Will’s face when he started to speak, “I had fun too. I wish it could be longer.” Will looked straight up at him with an expression on his face that Mike couldn’t quite figure out. It looked like he wanted to say or do something but for some reason was waiting…or scared. He pulled in a deep breath and blew it out before he went on.

“Mike, I... want to say so much about what happened and maybe we can talk about it one day, but I just need you to know how special you are to me and... I don’t even know what to say…damn, I wish I was going to your house.” Will looked as if he might start crying if he said anymore.

Mike took a step towards him but had to force himself to stop, knowing he couldn’t do what he wanted. Instead he put an arm around him in a brotherly hug so it wouldn’t look so suspicious. “I wish you were, too.”

Joyce’s sweet but loud voice interrupted him from a few parking places down, “Will, sweetie, come on. Hopper wants to get home!”

He yelled back, “Ok, I’ll be right there!”

He softened his voice again, “I guess I gotta go, I’ll see you in the morning, ok. Really early in the morning. That’s gonna suck.”

Mike chuckled, “Yeah, staff meeting at 7:00. Want me to pick you up?”

“No, Hopper has to be in town early so we are having breakfast and he will drop me off.” Mike could hear the disappointment in his voice but knew that they both would have family and work commitments this week as everything went back to normal.

“Ok, I’ll see you there then,” He held out his hand and Will wrapped his fingers around Mike’s thumb in their typical “bro” handshake before they split apart.

The handshake seemed so silly to him after all that had happened over the weekend and it wasn’t the contact either of them wanted but being in public forced them to be discreet. The only difference was when they broke the handshake their fingers lingered together a second longer than normal, neither of them wanting to let go.

The pain was evident in Will’s eyes, “Bye, Mike.”

“Bye, Will.” God, it hurt so bad as he watched him climb into the backseat with El and then to see the red tail lights getting smaller as they drove away. He had a flashback to a similar feeling in the past when he saw the police chief’s Bronco drive away like that. It was how he always had to say goodbye to El, too.

He felt the light touch of an arm slipping around his waist, “Hey man, you ok?” He had no idea when Max got there or how long she had been standing with him.

He sighed, “Yeah…I just really hate that fucking truck. It always takes what I want away from me.” He didn’t care what he said in front of Max. He really needed to tell her but was also sure that she might already know how he was feeling so he threw discretion away, but only because it was her.

She chuckled, “Yeah, I can totally understand that. At least you get to see him in a few hours.”

He looked down at her in surprise, then narrowed his eyes a little, “You know?”

“Of course, I know.” She said it matter of fact like it had always been.

_She always knows._

He wondered if El told her or if she picked up on it herself. She probably figured it out herself, she had amazing intuition for a seventeen-year-old.

“It’s my job to know now that I’m your best friend. You know, since Will has gotten a promotion, I get one too.”

He laughed, “Promotion? Jumping the gun, aren’t you? I haven’t even talked with Will about it yet.”

“Sometimes you don’t need to talk about it, Mike. You just show it and know it. It’s not like there are magic words that make love official. I knew and you didn’t tell me about it. I knew because I could see it.”

He was once again amazed with her words and how they could make him feel better in an instant.

She squeezed his side before letting go, “So, we should probably all get home. I heard you snoring on the hood earlier, you need to get some good sleep.”

“I don’t snore. Why do people keep saying that?”

She scoffed, “It’s really funny that you keep denying it. C’mon, take me home bestie.”

After dropping off Max first, then Dustin, it was just him and Lucas in the car for the short drive to his house.

“Everything ok, Mike?”

“Yeah, man. You know, just working through some stuff.” Other than Will, Lucas was his oldest friend. Even though they were a lot alike and had their differences sometimes, he loved him and probably treated him like a true brother more than anyone else.

“I can see that. I just want you to know I’m with you, always will be. If you ever need anything…”

“Thanks Lucas, that means a lot.” Mike hadn’t thought much about how all his closest friends would feel about him and Will together, but moments like this made him feel a lot better about it. He didn’t think Lucas knew anything about him and Will yet, but if Max knew then it was a possibility.

After they got out of the car, Lucas spoke as he slung his back pack over one shoulder, “Hey, how about pizza and a Nintendo marathon at my house tomorrow night?”

He thought about it for a second. His first inclination was to leave the night open in case Will wanted to do something but then it dawned on him that a night with Lucas would be nice. It had been a long time since they had hung out, just the two of them.

Mike smiled, “Yeah, that would be awesome. Six o’clock good?”

“Perfect, see you tomorrow then. Goodnight Mike.”

“Goodnight Lucas.”

Mike went inside and talked to Jonathan and Nancy for a few minutes before showering and getting ready for bed. He packed his book bag with all his work stuff and laid out his clothes for tomorrow. Being busy for that short while kept his mind off Will but laying down brought all kinds of memories and thoughts crashing in. Sleep wasn’t going to come easy. He wanted Will there in the worst way.

After laying there and staring at his ceiling for the better part of an hour, he glanced over to his clock radio where the bright red display read 12:17. He had to be up at 6:00 and knew if he didn’t get to sleep soon that he would be grumpy the next day. He almost risked dialing the Byers’ number just to talk to Will one last time but decided it would be wrong to wake up the full house by calling him so late. Instead he threw back the covers and ran downstairs to get his old handheld radio that mostly collected dust, but they still used from every so often. It was laying just where he left it after Will called him on it Saturday morning. He briefly thought about all that had happened since then and how it had basically been a life changing three days.

“Will are you there? It’s Mike…over.” He spoke quietly hoping the radio was in Will’s room and not out in the open where others might hear it.

After waiting a few seconds, he heard his radio spark to life, but it was mostly white noise and static with the occasional sound of Will’s voice broken up in between, unintelligible. Will’s house was the only one detached from the other three members of the original party. Lucas was next door, Dustin was just down the street, but Will was a few miles out from the rest of them, so the signal didn’t always make it that far.

He knew from experience that the radio signal didn’t always travel well on hot humid nights like this one. If it were cold and clear or early in the morning when it was cool outside, then he would be able to hear his voice. Luckily, they had an alternative...Morse code. All four of them learned it specifically to be able to include Will in the conversation when the signals were weak. It had come in handy several times before, even allowing Will to communicate with them while he was possessed in 1984.

Mike keyed the button that only sent beeps three times, indicating to Will to switch to Morse. A few seconds later a combination of beeps and breaks came through and he wrote down the letters as they came. Over the years they had developed a sort of short hand to keep the number of letters at a minimum.

_H-E-Y_

_R-U-O-K_

Mike smiled, relieved that Will was evidently still awake and felt that familiar wash of relief knowing they were talking to each other again. Not as good as having him here but it was better than silence.

He pressed the button several times, answering back.

A-O-K

M-I-S-S   U

He hoped that it didn’t seem too forward or weird. He should really be past those feelings now but couldn’t help it. It was all still too new. Before long the radio beeped back.

_M-I-S-S   U   2_

_C-A-N-T   S-L-E-E-P_

Mike figured correctly that he had still been awake. Will wasn’t one to turn in early, especially when he was at home. He didn’t really know what else to say. You couldn’t really talk a full conversation in Morse, so Mike decided to keep it short. He carefully hit the paddle in the right sequence.

S-A-M-E

W-A-N-T-E-D   2   T-E-L-L   U    G-N

He hated to end it so soon, but Morse wasn’t a fast form of communication and they could be up talking like this until 4 A.M. The last sentence alone took over a minute to key in. Both would be useless zombies tomorrow if that happened. He guessed he could have just told Will to call him and he could have been waiting right by the phone so it wouldn’t wake Jonathan and Nancy, but this seemed better. It was special and different, unique to them.

_O-K_

_S-M-I-L-E-S_

_C-U    N    A-M    G-N_

Mike smiled and his face felt warm when he figured out the word ‘smiles’ and imagined Will sitting in his bed, smiling down at the radio. Mike knew he took the time to type that out because he really meant it and it made his heart ache just a touch more. Even though they hadn’t said much, it might be enough to help him finally get to sleep.

Just to be sure, he grabbed the pillow Will used the last couple of nights and buried his face in it. It was doubtful there was any of his scent left but just knowing it was where his head laid not long ago helped Mike finally ease into sweet, dream-filled sleep.

 

* * *

 

Tuesday July 5th, 1988

Mike

He was the first employee to arrive that morning at the Hawkins post, which was often the case, and turned on all the lights and then got the AC going before doing anyone else arrived. He remembered to bring coffee filters from the house and started three pots brewing in the kitchen. Everyone would be caffeine starved since they had to be in early for the weekly staff meeting. It wasn’t like they had an enormous staff, but the small group consumed coffee like water.

His co-workers started trickling in around 6:45. Will was the last to arrive, just before the meeting was supposed to start, his hair still wet and looking neat and preppy in new jeans and a tucked in yellow polo shirt. They had to revert to the paper’s regular dress code now that everyone was back in town. He’d barely had time to go get his coffee before coming into the conference room and plopping down beside Mike, smelling like he just stepped out of the shower.

Will offered up the usual big smile, “Good morning.”

“Good morning, you made it just in time.” Mike grinned back

“Yeah, somebody kept me up late. It was hard to get going.” The smile remained unchanged. Mike kept smiling and looked down. He loved it when Will played with him like that.

Just after that, Elliot Lane came in going full speed, which was typical for the busy man who never seemed to have enough time in the day for all he wanted to do. The meeting was rapid fire question and answers to the staff which consisted of Will, Mike, Meg the receptionist/secretary, two other writers--one part time, one full time—and the supervisor of the print and press department. The only other employees of the paper were the print press operators and the delivery boys and girls who didn’t really need to come to meetings like this.

Once everybody was given weekly assignments, Elliot concluded the meeting with one last thought.

“Before we go, I just wanted to give a special thanks to Will and Mike for keeping the ship upright last week while most of us were gone. You boys did an exceptional job, especially you Byers, the copy looked great. It’s nice to know that I can take a vacation without everything going straight to hell.”

Both boys thanked him for the kind words, and Elliot dismissed them all to get started on this week’s work. Mike caught up to Will before he secluded himself in his workspace.

“Hey, sorry about last night, I hope I didn’t keep you up.” He went back to the conversation they were having before the boss came in.

Will chuckled, “Don’t be, it was fun. My Morse is super rusty though. It’s been a long time since we’ve done that.”

“Yeah, mine is too.” Mike paused for a second as Phil, the part time writer, passed by them in the hallway. When he was gone Mike spoke again, “Want to go get lunch later?”

Disappointment flashed across Will’s face, “I can’t today, I ran into Jenn last night at the fireworks and she asked me to go today. I’m really sorry.” Mike still felt a lingering jealousy but canned it quickly because he knew the feeling was ridiculous. Will made it clear that they were just friends now.

“It’s ok, tell her I said hello. My morning is crazy and I really gotta go now. Is it ok if I drop by and talk to you after lunch then?”

Will looked worried, “Sure, I’ll be here until 5 when mom picks me up. El made me promise her a couple of evenings at the cabin, so we are doing that tonight. Is everything ok?”

“Oh yeah, everything’s perfect. It’s nothing serious.” He lied but couldn’t exactly tell Will that he was planning to ask him out on a date, now could he? He changed the subject quickly, “Everything ok with El?”

Will nodded and looked around before speaking in a hushed voice, “She wants to talk about what happened and I’m sure it’s more than just talking.” Mike remembered Dustin’s question about Jedi training and could easily see her trying to teach Will or at least learn more about this newly discovered part of him.

“Oh ok, sounds exciting. I’m hanging out with Lucas after work. Anyway, I have got to get going. See you after lunch.”

“Ok, see you later.”

The morning went by lightning fast. Mike checked off item after item on his to do list and before he even realized how much time went by, it was one in the afternoon. Will would be back from his lunch shortly, so he ran over to the nearby diner and ate his lunch so fast that it produced mild indigestion. When he came back, Mr. Lane informed him that he was going to be gone the rest of the afternoon and added a few more things to his list.

While he was working alone in the office, he began to think about what exactly he wanted to say to Will. He didn’t want to stumble over his words or freeze when he walked in there. He went over a few different combinations in his head and nothing sounded right and soon started rehearsing it out loud. He was soon pacing back and forth across the office and talking to himself like a crazy person. He always overthought things like this. The clock rolled past two-thirty and he knew that he had to go soon, or he would chicken out or run out of time. He decided the direct and honest approach was the best. He would simply ask the question, wait on the answer and get out. Simple.

He ran a hand through his hair and went over the words he wanted to say one more time. It was now or never. He took a deep calming breath and smoothed his button up shirt. He didn’t get two steps out of the door before nervousness like he hadn’t felt in a long time set in. He forced himself to take the first step and each one after got easier. Before he knew it, he was standing outside Will’s door. Mike could see him focused on drawing something on the oversized table and it looked like he was talking or singing to himself, Mike couldn’t tell which, and Will was prone to do either when concentrating. The squadron of butterflies in his stomach and chest were buzzing and swarming again and he completely regretted his choice of a chili cheeseburger at lunch. He pulled in one last breath and puffed it out quickly before knocking two times and letting himself in.

 

* * *

 

Will

The ride into work was a little tense. Jim was unusually quiet, but it wasn’t the normal gruff silence the man wore like a shield. He looked like he was worried about something and was fidgety, which Will didn’t think he ever remembered him being like that. Will didn’t press him or ask him what was wrong because he knew that Hopper would talk about it if he wanted or needed to. Will was just happy to have him as a healthy father figure in his life. The last three years had been nice on that front. Being the Chief’s _de facto_ stepson had been good for Will and brought a new element into his life that helped him grow past a lot of childhood insecurity. He really hoped the Chief hadn’t picked up on what happened this weekend and was getting more and more worried with the silence.

Since talking evidently wasn’t going to be required this morning he just stared out the window and thought about last night. Of course, he was worried that something was wrong when he first heard Mike’s broken voice coming over the radio. Him and El had been sitting on his bed talking when the radio sparked to life. El just smiled and took it as her cue to go to bed. She kissed him on the cheek and told him not to stay up too late before leaving for her room.

Talking in Morse code caused him to have feelings he hadn’t had in a while. Not only was it nostalgic because he always connected the radio with his friends and good times as a kid, but the things Mike said were also simple and sweet. These little moments kept happening and Will was now sure the feelings were mutual. He was sure enough to take a chance and hold Mike’s hand during the fireworks. He knew it was cliché for fireworks to inspire romantic feelings, but the moment seemed right and he knew that no one would be watching them.

His thoughts went to the next step. He talked about it with El last night and she told him to follow his heart and do what he thought was best. He also told her that he was in love, no point in watering it down or trying to hide it any longer. He could tell she was happy for him but there was also a slight sense of sadness coming from her too.

Their talk moved away from him and his relationship issues to her and what was going on with her. It made Will sad when she admitted to being lonely. She would always have him, Max and the rest of their friends but she wanted someone to share “more” with. She had also admitted that her feelings for Max were creeping in again and that it was getting harder for her to control them. She knew that her and Max couldn’t be an option and asked him his opinion and advice, which he freely gave. He wanted her to be happy and in order to help take her mind off romance, he agreed to spend some time with her exploring his new ability. Work came first, so he committed to evenings at the cabin with her to talk and try new things. He needed that as much as she did. He wanted nothing more than to understand why this was happening and where it came from.

The squeal of the brakes on Hopper’s Bronco brought him out of the daydream and he realized they had arrived at the Post. They left too late to get breakfast, so he had just eaten a piece of toast on the way. He had five minutes to get inside and get to the meeting.

He grabbed his bag and popped open the door, “Thanks for the ride Hop.”

Jim looked over and gave him a smile, “Sure thing son, you have a good day. Ok.”

“You too. Hey, is everything ok? You’re quiet today.” Will asked because he didn’t want to worry all day about him.

“Yeah kid, I’m ok. Just got some stuff on my mind. No big deal.”

“Ok, see you tonight. Have a good day.”

Hopper gave him a thumbs up and drove away after Will shut the door. Will was sure that Hop wasn’t being truthful, but he couldn’t worry about it too much. His step-dad had a mountain of responsibility so it could be anything that was causing him stress.

Will’s morning went by as fast as Mike’s. The low point was seeing the sad look on Mike’s face when he found out Will already had lunch plans with Jenn. He hated turning Mike down, but he needed to spend some time with her, until last night they hadn’t seen each other in over a month. He was looking forward to the lunch and was prepared to talk with her about Mike if the opportunity presented itself.

He met her at one of the Mom and Pop restaurants near downtown that served mostly vegetables and southern style food. He was a bit disappointed that she brought someone with her but understood because the boy was her cousin, in town to visit from another state. He was pleasant to be around and easy to talk to, it almost seemed like him and Will knew each other already. When lunch was over, and they were walking through the quiet town square he was finally able to talk privately with Jenn when her cousin ducked off into an antiques store.

“Lunch was really good, it’s nice to eat something besides burgers and fries.” Will smiled at her.

She poked him in the stomach, “Yes, it is. You look great but need to eat better. Sorry about Jonah, I couldn’t just leave him alone at home and I had a feeling you guys would get along.” Even after the break up, she had a tendency to mother him a little.

He shook his head, “No, he’s nice. I like him.” He paused and thought for a second then continued, “I do need to talk to you about something though. Can I call you in a little while? We can talk while I work.”

“Yeah, I’ll be at home all afternoon. Everything ok?”

He smiled, wishing he had a quarter for every time someone asked him if he was ok.

“Everything’s fine, just had some stuff to tell you and another really important thing to ask you about.”

She smiled warmly at him in a knowing way, “Mike?”

He sighed and rolled his eyes at her, “Yes…Mike. Am I that predictable?”

She chuckled, “No, I just saw you guys sitting on the hood last night with Jane before the fireworks. It looked like he was asleep.”

Hearing someone say El’s legal name reminded him that they would need to start calling her that again when school was back in. Hopper was clear that she needed to be called by her proper name in front of everyone else but when it was party members only then they all mostly reverted to the nickname Mike gave her years ago. Jenn was one of the few that was had heard them call her “El” several times, but she only used Jane because that’s how they were introduced.

He relaxed, glad that it was then that she had seen them and not during the fireworks. That would have been much harder to explain.

“Yeah, he was asleep. I’ll explain more when we talk.”

About that time the bell over the door of the antique shop jingled and Jonah walked out. The pair walked Will back to The Post where they said goodbye. He hugged Jenn and shook Jonah’s hand before going back to his office.

He worked for an hour and a half before he called Jenn, making sure she had time to get home and get settled. He shut his door and called her on speaker phone so he could continue working while they talked. His office was in the back of the building and no one would be able to hear their conversation with his door shut.

The phone rang a couple of times before she picked up, “ _Hello.”_

“Hey, it’s me. Are you alone?”

“ _Yeah, Jonah is actually gone for a while. After we left you, we ran into Dustin and a couple of the other drama folks. That’s Jonah’s thing too and he really hit off with them, so they asked if he wanted to hang out with them for the afternoon.”_

“Oh, that’s good. He told me yesterday that they would be working on the fall musical soon, I guess it was today.” He spoke while drawing caricatures of a donkey and an elephant for the start of election coverage.

He jumped when Mike knocked on his door a couple times and walked in before he could get up. His hair was messed up and his face was red and sweaty. Will started to ask him what was wrong, but Mike shut the door behind and started speaking in a fast, nervous voice before he could say anything.

“Is now a good time? This will just take a minute.”

“Yeah, but…” His eyes flicked down at the phone on his desk.

“Ok good, this will only take a minute.” Mike interrupted him before he could let him know Jenn was on the phone and could hear him. Will also noticed he nervously repeated himself.

Will glanced down at the phone, “Mike I…”

“Will, just let me talk, ok. I need to say something, and I really need you to hear me out then you can say whatever you want, ok."

Mike interrupted him for a second time and for a brief second Will wondered if his friend was having an anxiety attack or something similar. He wasn’t being rude or anything, just a little spastic.

Mike held up his hands, “Will, I just wanted to say that these last few days have been some of the best of my life. I’ve had more fun with you than I ever have before and, to be honest, I can’t get my mind off you.”

Will felt his mouth hanging open and the burn of a blush on his face was so strong he could feel it tingling down his neck. He glanced down at the phone one last time then back at his anxious friend.

Mike continued, “I really like you Will and I think you like me too…at least I hope you do. If you aren’t busy this Friday night, then I would like to take you out. You know, like a date…a real date. Would you like to do that, you know…with me?”

Will was in complete and utter shock and no part of him was responding to anything Mike said. No deer that ever existed had been so frozen in headlights more than Will was now. He lost all concept of time and could only stare at the one person he had ever been in love with.

“Will?” Mike’s voice brought him back to reality like it had so many times before.

Will finally found his voice and a word weakly came out before he could think, “No.”

A sharp shriek went off in his head when he realized what he had said.

_NO, NO, NO dumbass! NO is not what you were supposed to say!_

Mike’s shoulders slumped and a look of complete hurt crossed his face before Will could correct himself.

“Wait! I meant no…I’m not busy Friday night…and yes, I want to go with you. I definitely want to go out with you!” Will spoke quickly, not sure he could take those hurt eyes for more than a second.

The hurt look dissolved instantly. Mike smiled broadly and let out a stuttering breath of relief and his eyes changed to that dopey look Will had grown to love so much, “Oh, thank god.”

Will giggled nervously, he was fairly certain that his blush was spreading down his chest now. He stood up behind his desk, “I’m really sorry about that.”

Mike laughed, too, “It’s ok, you just scared me. I need to get back, I guess. Can I call you tonight?”

Will’s face felt so hot; he could only imagine how closely he resembled a tomato right now.

“Yeah…any time after ten should be fine.”

Mike smiled broadly and started to open the door, “Awesome, talk to you then.”

“Sounds perfect.”

He turned and started to step out. Will called out before he could shut the door, “Mike!”

He turned back around, “Yeah?”

Will was swaying just slightly side to side and fumbling with one of the pens he had been using to draw with earlier.

“I like you, too.”

Mike smiled and nodded, looking down before he closed the door behind him. Will watched him walk away until he turned the corner and was out of sight.

He was starting to truly comprehend what just happened when Jenn’s sweet voice, just louder than a whisper, came across the speaker phone on his desk, “ _Oh my god, Will, that was the sweetest thing I ever heard in my life.”_

He looked down at the phone as if a monster had just come through the speaker. He had completely forgotten she was listening on the speaker.

_“Are you there?”_

He finally answered her once the shock faded, “Yeah, sorry…I’m here.”

 _“So…I guess that’s what you wanted to talk about?”_ She giggled.

He turned his head and let out a quick breath and did a half chuckle, “Yes…yes it was.”  

 

* * *

 

Mike

Mike was walking in the clouds on the way back to his office. Will said yes! He was happier than he had been in a long time and now had to get some serious planning done in order to make Friday night perfect. He went to the bathroom to compose himself before he had to speak to anyone else. His emotions and feelings were fully charged, and he had to be careful not to act crazy around his co-workers. After he composed himself, he left the bathroom and stopped by the receptionist’s desk to retrieve his messages and mail, the original reason he had been out of his office before going to see Will. He quickly scrawled the address for the place the concert would be on a post-it note.

“Hey Meg, can you please map out the directions to this place for me. No hurry, I’m not going until Friday.”

“Sure thing, sweetie. I’ll get it to you real soon.” The older woman had several map books and was always copying pages from them and writing directions for the other staff and reporters.

“You’re the best. Thank you.” He went straight back to his office and tried his best to finish work. Now that he had accomplished the number one item on his to-do list for the day, he had to focus and find a way to get his work done.

He had just hung up the phone with an advertiser when he heard a familiar deep voice talking to Meg out in the lobby. He didn’t think anything of it and went back to work.

He looked up in surprise when Jim Hopper opened the door and walked into his office looking as if he were on a mission. His face was stony, and jaw clenched. Mike new that he had a lot of interaction with the paper and assumed he was here to see Elliot Lane.

“Hey Hopper, Mr. Lane is out for the rest…”

“I’m not here to see Elliot. I’m here to see you.” He interrupted him. His voice stern and brusque.

Mike’s surprise turned to nervousness then his nervousness turned to fear when the chief closed and locked the door then closed the blind that covered the office window. His heart was thumping when Hopper wheeled a chair over in front of his desk and sat down with a look that Mike couldn’t really read. If Mike had to guess, he would say he looked worried and angry at the same time. His steel blue eyes bored straight into Mike’s soul.

It was terrifying.

“Kid, we need to talk.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well I really hoped you enjoyed that. The boys have finally pieced it all together and hopefully it continues to go well. 
> 
> Please let me know what you liked about this chapter or the story in general. I love all the comments and really appreciate when you wonderful people leave them. I plan on at least three more chapters in this story and hope to be finished before ST3 drops in July. 
> 
> Please give me follow on tumblr if you would like @thepragmaticrebel
> 
> I also have a couple of other stories coming up and would really like someone to beta read one that's almost written. If interested please send me a dm in tumblr. 
> 
> Much love to you all and thanks again for reading!


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